#I literally had to think of a cooler title on the spot

[skycapt4in-a]

SOME ABSOLUTELY USELESS INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPACE THIEF literally what the title says

-> he can play the banjo! pretty well, actually. in another life he might've been able to make a career out of the talent. but he found it in his early twenties in a market on a planet known for it's high crime rates and originally the only reason he bought it was because it was one of the first things he'd seen from earth that didn't come from his abduction. it's a bit.. well, he's had it for over ten years and shockingly there aren't a lot of places that can repair it properly when it gets damaged, but it still functions and plays well, although i think he lives in constant fear of the strings snapping on his hands again. he's also recently picked up the guitar and is quietly teaching himself how to play that.

-> shockingly his music taste isn't usually things that feature the banjo, although he does like some of those genres, but his main thing is.. it's metal. he's a metalhead, but the type of metal with the folks screaming. the more intense the song and the less the screaming sounds like actual words, the more he'll like it. he's also a big fan of punk, because go figure the criminal with authority issues would like music about hating the government.

-> his first kill was at the ripe old age of 17 and it was a lucky shot. not for the person he shot ig but still. see the thing with being hired into an organized space criminal gang is that you'll probably end up facing death once you're finished being shown the ropes. his crew were conducting business and it had gone poorly, so poorly that when he saw them running back to the ship and firing shots behind them he immediately grabbed the closest pew pew and went out to give something of cover fire and was able to take out two of the ten badder guys not the most interesting first kill i know but thems the cards.

-> his biological earth family are wealthy folks in the whiskey industry. but they're the nice fictional rich people that give back because they remember their roots and growing up poor. i refuse to write rich people unless they're destined to die or they're good about their money. plus i've kinda gotten attached to gary & clara because even though they only exist in my mind and on a few pages, they're such a sweet old couple. goals, even. anyways, the abernacky family is a wealthy one and they're still offering quite a chunk of money if you have any information about their missing son.. [ nudge nudge ]

-> on the subject of noah's earth family, this is something i've purposefully left out when i talked about him before but his older brother, nick? he's a vampire. it's a whole thing. like a whole thing. i've always had a soft spot for sibling characters that just have a completely different life, aesthetic and basically everything from their more known sibling. it works because nick is absolutely miserable so he immediately fit the bill.

-> back to pointless noah things, a small list of things he's scared of that you wouldn't think someone like him would be scared of: the ocean/large bodies of water in general, clowns, dragonfruit, killer whales, eels, jellyfish-- anything that comes from the ocean really, gnomes but the garden decorations and not the lil creatures, mannequins, and the crushing fear that he's going to die alone and without somewhere he was once able to call his home and it felt right. y'know, the usual. oh, and spiders.

-> he's actually angry that dragons aren't real, he found out about them during his stint in the archive and for a brief moment imagined having one as a buddy, but his dreams were ruined when he was told that they don't exist. it still angers him to this day.

-> he will shoot to seriously hurt but not kill, if you call him 'noah abernacky.' just don't do it if you ever learn his last name, he's keeping his brother's name as his last one and he will fight about it. and he thinks that noah torrent sounds cooler, it does, i'll give him that.

-> he likes the colour purple a bit too much if you ask me, shi'p's hallways and corridor lights are usually tinted in a purple hue, the sparce detailing on her outside is also purple. anything he could make purple on board was made purple. not the lenses on his mask though, heaven forbid.

-> another creature he wants as a buddy is a polar bear, but he's kept away from those for the obvious reason that they're absolutely terrifying and would kill him. they remind him of a much more docile and friendlier creature on cryon that i honestly cannot remember the name of, it's somewhere in one of his notebooks and i'll be real i'm too lazy to look through it for the name, but i can tell you that they're very similar to polar bears, just picture them a bit longer, with an extra set of legs and sabre-tooth tiger like teeth. they can be domesticated, they're basically like the wolves of cryon.

[queenofbaws]

oooh! May I have a (Control) Trench/Northmoor thing? Been a while and I loved what you did last time. Preferably something soft and light-hearted?

(I'm currently too clammed up and angsty and generally blah to write anything, so *someone* has to do it.) <3

catch me catching up on some not-quite-six sentence sat(or)sunday!

The interdepartmental bulletin had gone over like a lead balloon - at least in the executive suite. Its phrasing had been cheerful, almost irreverent, peppering in all the buzzwords du jour: synergy, community, appreciation, morale, describing the exercise as everything but what it actually was.

A bad idea.

Trench had seen the surveys go out - neat, painstakingly organized things they were - and for a good week after the copy machine had cooled off, each pneumatic THWOOP! of an incoming mail tube made him wince. There was no way in hell this didn't break bad, no. Way. In. Hell.

Yearbook superlatives were still yearbook superlatives by any other name; and maybe he wasn't some high-falutin' expert on the matter, but he was pretty damn sure this sort of juvenile popularity contest counted as archetypal, no matter how wild and/or wacky the categories were.

Whoever's idea this little team building exercise had been, well...he hoped they realized they were playing with fire. If not metaphorically, tempting the Oldest House with a tasty morsel of iconography, then, uh, literally. They might literally find themselves set aflame.

The thought occurred to him again when the day finally came and he found himself standing in front of the corkboard in the Executive wing, his eyes moving with slow, calculated saccades across the pages of dot-matrix printing posted up there. Perhaps, he thought - perhaps - they'd skirted the Oldest House's wrath through careful consideration (the sides of each sheet torn off perfectly at the perforations, the proper usage of an even number of Bureau-issued nondescript thumbtacks, the wise omission of any of those digital smiley faces the younger agents seemed so fond of those days), but he'd seen Broderick's name on the list. He'd seen the title he'd been awarded.

No one was out of the frying pan yet.

Like the cliche alone betrayed him, a familiar warmth filled the room. Without glancing away from the list, Trench swirled the (now steaming) coffee in his mug and took a sip. "Director," he said by way of greeting, not without the faintest upward tick to the corner of his mouth.

"Had one of these in high school, you know," Northmoor answered, all bluster and proud swagger as he joined Trench at the corkboard. "Most likely to succeed. You believe that? Like somehow, in someway, the whole graduating class was prescient. Who woulda thunk, huh? Oh, if only they knew..."

Ah. All right. There he'd been, expecting the water coolers to be bubbling over while the wallpaper glue melted off the damn drywall, and yet there was Broderick, grinning like the cock of the walk. Trench was still fully, fully of the opinion that this whole mess had been a bad idea - an awful one, really - but now he added an asterisk to that thought, a footnote down at the very bottom of his mental write-up of the scene:

The superlatives had been a bad idea.*

*But funny, too.

With his mug, he gestured towards the corkboard, offhandedly asking, "You've seen it already, then?"

"On my way in, yeah," Northmoor answered, folding his arms and squaring his shoulders in a self-assured stance as endearing as it was obnoxious. "Great way to start the day - really puts a spring in your step, doesn't it? Seeing how the rest of them think of us?"

Trench hummed a soft "Mhm" of agreement into his coffee, experience having taught him to savor it now, while he had the chance. Soon enough, he suspected, that wouldn't be the case.

"You hardly sound enthusiastic about it. Here, what'd they give you? Hmm...Zachariah...Zachari - ah, there you are!" His finger traced its way down the list from a safe distance, the paper darkening in a spot or two along the way. "Most likely to benefit from a vacation. Ha! Hey, you have to hand it to them, they're not wrong." Without waiting for a response, he continued, obviously just excited to share his own title. "Try not to look so grim about it, Deputy. I mean, it's not what I was voted, but c'mon...not everyone can be Hottest in the Bureau."

Echoing himself, Trench once more hummed in agreement. "True," he said flatly, hoping against hope there wasn't anything on his face suggesting how close he was to snickering. "You'll have to excuse my candor for saying so, but I don't think anyone here has a leg to stand on if they argue you're not the hottest one in the Bureau. That's just simple fact."

He waited. That probably made him as much a part of the problem as whoever it was who'd put the surveys out in the first place, but he did it. Trench waited until Northmoor turned to look at him, his grin sideways and shining and perfectly fetching; Trench waited for that very moment, and then, perfectly calm, fanned himself with the case file he'd been holding in his other hand.

The grin didn't drop all at once. But it dropped. Doubt flared in Broderick's eyes, then realization, then fury, then actual honest-to-god embers. The room positively wilted in the ensuing heat pouring off of him as he whirled around, shouting at some poor pencil pusher to "GET ME THE NAME OF WHATEVER CLOWN THOUGHT THIS COCKAMAMIE BULLSHIT UP," and Trench? Why, he loosened his tie. Kept fanning himself. He set his coffee mug down as its contents began to boil, and he forced himself to admit maybe there was a bit of truth behind those superlatives after all.

He probably wouldn't get a suntan from watching Broderick burst into flame upon realizing the whole Bureau had joined together to make a horrific pass at wordplay at his expense, but the ambient heat he was putting off was the closest he'd come to a tropical vacation in at least ten years, and if he was honest with himself...yeah, yeah, he was benefiting from it, all right.

[mytvd]

can they fly?? is there any other way she could have been yanked vertically like that??

the zooming of the credits sent me

"i predicted obama" "can we still say 'tr*nny mess'?"

the crow on the street signs. watching. observing. the video mentioned that the crow and fog get dropped right away which is already making me so sad.

kai confuses me -- is he really making fun of jeremy for wearing nail polish?? "pete wentz (derogatory)"?? offended at the mention of carson daly?? he and jeremy look equally threatening, is kai supposed to be scarier??

the dramatic sunglasses removal made me wonder if vampires can accidentally compel people by making eye contact. or was it just to look cool

the "chill yourself" clip has been stuck in my mind since i first watched that video and seeing it in context was just ...!

why is bonnie so menacing in that shot????

i'm uneasy seeing pretty much all of these people inside a high school. i have consumed ridiculous amounts of high school media but this is really pushing it

"HAWT-E" lmao

i haven't looked into anything about the production at all but this looks like a really high-budget episode for the first season of any show, especially a teen paranormal romance

that crow noise as she enters the cemetery LMAOOOOO

literally lol'd at [i assume damon] standing by that statue. whoever came up with that shot really ate that day

does elena think "hitchcock" is the movie title

the crow sounds keep startling my cat

there's no way she wouldn't have felt that injury lol

is this the same background music from pll??

matt looks old enough to be kai's dad at this restaurant. no offense to this actor irl -- he just looks tired and his skin looks very dehydrated (vs kai's v moisturized face). why didn't they oil up this man and try another take

"when's the last time you had sex with a puppy?"

i thought it was gonna turn out that elena was lying to jenna, she is dressed for a much different occasion than her friends are

"her mom and dad died" i wonder how many more times this will get stated in this episode (edit: even more than i thought)

it looks like stefan is on a date with all three of them

i had to rewatch this scene because of the background kate bush. i didn't want it to be a cover but wow. the hits!!!

i stan this wardrobe full of diaries!!!

why is this teacher such an asshole

i don't think i ever learned about this kind of hyperlocal town history in school at any point (i also went to a small town southern public high school). i realize it's there for our benefit but lol it seems weird. what actual class is this where on day 2 of school they are learning this information??

mr. tanner quickly became even more of an asshole jfc

why is the closeup of stefan's nose pores comforting to me? (it's bc everyone is airbrushed now)

i love how supportive elena is of bonnie's psychic abilities

elena is v committed to cradling that empty solo cup

where is this?? i know they said "the falls" and i assumed this pavilion in the woods was maybe someone's private property but the bridge with the lights?? where are they lol

holy shit vicki

this is a much fancier woods party spot than the woods party spot i went to in high school. or the cow pasture spot. there are so many coolers, cans, bottles, etc, but no visible litter. wild

how is nobody calling 911 lol like why are all these kids just standing around staring as if nothing has happened?? they would be, at the very least, milling about

the zooms are non-stop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have never seen so many zooms. slow zooms. fast zooms. credit zooms.

i know there are things like civil war flashbacks but i would love a 90s one of stefan in his "grunge look"

jenny called damon "an eyebrow heavy performance" and yeah

i can't believe jeremy is drinking a beer while there are cops in the frame???

i hope we find out more about the competition caroline believes she is in with elena

the fray. i'm time traveling

stefan wanted to "be someone new" so he returned to his small hometown, under his real name, to live in his family home??

i know that almost everyone in a movie/tv show playing a teen or young adult is older than their character but again this show is really pushing my suspension of disbelief re: damon making eye contact with caroline. in this shot just having him facing the camera instead of showing his profile and using less harsh lighting would have done wonders to not make me viscerally react to him flirting with a teenager.

elena in front of this giant un-curtained window in the dark on the cw is so pll

from the video i know the stefan is "seventeen" but i wonder if katherine was also seventeen?? or maybe katherine is older than the brothers, in apparrant age & actual age? i just had the thought, "if stefan is only here to check out elena, why couldn't he have waited until she graduated high school to meet her?" which made me think, "at what point in her physical development would it become clear that she is a doppleganger of katherine? like how young?" there is no enjoyment for me in trying to pick apart the age disparity ethics of vampire teens dating human teens so i am disregarding that for this entire show but the doppleganger thing is weird to me

just remembered from the vpd video that queen bianca lawson is on this show, just like she was on contemporary PLL and predecessor BTVS. the eternal teenager

i was committed to only watching one episode tonight but the next episode is called "the night of the comet." fuck

[skyland2703]

OH OKAY!! Top five for both: (they’re really RANDOM)

Here’s a top 10, you can figure out the hood and the bad and the ugly—

1) Kelson Henderson, this guy 👇🏻

He’s been in over 10+ ranger seasons. Yes. His first appearance was in Dino thunder, then SPD— where he played Boom, and after that, he voiced characters in almost EVERY season (except samurai.) until ninja steel, where his character Mick ACTUALLY BECOMES A RANGER. He’s played supporting characters all through, but his last role in the series before it ends became a ranger.. :3

2) this one was pointed out to me by @augment-techs just a couple days ago. But if you watch the zord fights for like half the seasons, you can very effectively play “is that newzealand or is that tokyo?” And if you take a shot every time you spot tokyo you’re gonna get drunk within three episodes XD (like it’s really bad Sentai editing in SOME places)

3) RPM had a REALLY WEIRD behind-the-scenes episode where the cast remained in character, as if the behind-the-scenes episode takes place within the series itself. Like you have the actors acting AS CHARACTERS but explaining how it’s dr. K who like. Erases the harnesses while editing the fight scenes. And how all the special effects are green screen. And how they’re running. And the last scene is a pyjama party where only dr. K is wearing pyjamas because everyone else decided the jeans looked cooler. I still have no clue what that episode was about.

4) the guy who played Cole (Red ranger, wild force) also played Deker (the villain from samurai), and apparently took the second character to heart because DUDE MURDERED HIS ROOMMATE WITH A SWORD. yes.

5) the episode titles in SPD, are all single worded. (Literally, it’s Beginnings for ep1 and Endings for the last ep.) then the season after that, Mystic force, has names all 2 worded. Then the season after that, overdrive, all episode names have 3 word names. And then, jungle fury, the one after that, has 4 word ep titles. I’m glad they dropped it after Jungle fury tho because IMAGINE FIVE LETTER TITLES AND MORE AFTER THAT. that’d have been messy.

6) RJ, the Purple Wolf Ranger from Jungle Fury, is the only Power Ranger to have used the martial arts style of Muay Thai, in that season owo

7) you can hear the Dino charge finishing theme in Ninja Steel Zord battles because ninja steel’s theme was so godawful that they stopped using it after like. Episode 6-7.

8) mystic force had a really COOL theme song that they scrapped and I hate them for that. Rpm had a pretty good og theme song too, (FIVE. TRIES. ON IT.) and they scrapped THAT too. I despise the RPM one, but the current mystic force one is nice too. Here’s links; Mystic Force, RPM

9) OhH people theorise that when Casey shows up (very… uh… cryptically…) in Supermegaforce, and just disappears when his work is done, that he’s actually… dead. Yeppp that’s a legit theory I came across back in the day, that he was actually dead and that it was his ghost that taught Jake and Emma the martial arts. I like to think about it sometimes.

10) power rangers recasts SO. MANY. characters. It’s annoying too, sometimes. I think the latest was Izzy’s actress. Javi and Izzy from Dino/cosmic wrre initially supposed to be bio sibs but Izzy’s actress was recast, becase she’d modelled for some playboy magazines or smth, and “Hasbro didn’t want kids looking up the green ranger to find nude pics”. So she was recast, and Tessa was cast in her place— and that made the Garcia sibs step-sibs.

I have some more. Worse ones, good ones. But here you go for nowwwww~

Give me power ranger facts!!! Any series!

For facts, would you like some incredibly traumatising ones? Or happy ones? ;)

[despair-ninja-everything-agency]

Oblivious

I swear I’m not obsessed or anything-

A fic for my Kara ga Gotoku AU. Took me 2 days and 2 restless nights to finish due to college. Title came from Fukan Fukuei’s ED theme. This is supposed to be my take on what happened after Millennium Tower exploded and basically a Nishiki-centric Yakuza re-imagine of Hollow Shrine.

Sorry if there’s oocness with some characters and, as always, if there’s any misspellings, redundancies, and grammatical errors. This is the longest fic I’ve made yet.

Before delving in, credits to @koikoikisses (sorry for tagging :,D) for the concept of Shikiya (Nishiki’s alternate personality). I just take my own spin on it for this AU.

Word Count: 5000+ words

Characters: Akira “Nishiki” Nishikiyama, Shikiya, Kazuma Kiryu, Sakamoto Ryoma (Yakuza Ishin), Miyamoto Musashi (Yakuza Kenzan)

Pairings: NiShikiya/AkiShiki, possible one-sided MusaShiki

Fic under the cut

When he opened his eyes, all he saw was nothing. He was floating aimlessly in this absolute void. He thought he was dead. Felt like he’s dead. Yet, another part of him felt alive. As if there were nothing life-threatening happened to him before.

Where am I?

He thinks to himself.

Why am I here?

Am I alive? Am I dead?

What had happened to him?

What of-

And then everything went white.

-o0o-

He abruptly sits up, panting heavily as if he had just running for a long time. Trying to calm himself, he looks around his vicinity. It’s night time. He’s in a hospital room. Smell of antiseptic enters his nostrils as he breaths in. He bows his head and closes his eyes once he calmed down, trying to recall what happened.

Someone shouted his name. No, not quite his name but close. Then a blinding flash and a loud boom. And then nothing.

He hears the door creaks open. Someone’s coming. Slowly, his eyes flutters open and his gaze directed to where the sound came from. The doctor, a nurse trails behind him, comes to check him up. He’s saying something but all that come out is nothing. Well, at least to him as he doesn’t bother to pay attention. He cranes his head to see the doctor. That’s when he sees it.

Writhing and glowing mass of red lines swarming on the two strangers. Anything beside them are blurred and muted, as if forcing him to look at them. They dance. Whispers on the back of his head beckons him to cut them off.

His eyes wide. His face paling. The sight of it is absolutely sickening. He looks away from them. The lines follow his gaze. Even after he tries to look a different direction, they still within his vision. He screams, clutching his head and screwing his eyes shut. Anything to get those foul sight away. The whispers come back, demanding him to look. The doctor tries to calm him down. He only screams louder, tears streaming down his cheek as he desperately cries for whatever it is to stop. He wails out that name, to that person he wishes is still there somewhere within him.

-o0o-

It took him an hour before he finally calmed down. The doctor and his nurse had left fifteen minutes earlier. The lines are still there, just not as loud and demanding as before. As he lays there, eyes on the ceiling, he wonders what was that. So many questions he’d like to answer yet nothing he could explain. He tiredly shrugs it off, closing his eyes and letting himself drift to sleep.

-o0o-

The same thing happens again the next time the doctor visits. He screws his eyes shut, trembling as he screams and cries.

Make it stop! Please!

He continues his lament.

Where is he? Where’s Nishiki?!

If the doctor is weirded out by that question, he doesn’t show it.

-o0o-

The third time it happened, he had tried to claw his eyes out. The doctor had no choice but to cover them with bandages.

In a way, he’s grateful. Sure, darkness can be lonely. But at least it’s better than seeing those things again.

Like this, he can finally calm down and think. How long had he been out? Is Yumi okay? What about the kid? What’s her name again? Haruka? What about Kiryu?

… What about Nishiki?

He sobs as he remembered. After that day he took over, the poor boy had been pulling himself away into the depths of the mind. He had believed that he would come back, first through his efforts then by Kiryu’s presence. However, it did nothing. That is, until the incident that night. Nishiki had surged out from his isolation and pulled the trigger, destroying the 10 billion yen with the bomb Yumi had set up before. If he hadn’t been dead before, the incident that night surely had killed him for good. Tears stained the bandage wet. He finally realizes one thing.

Akira Nishikiyama is dead.

And there’s nothing he can do but regret and cry, even if it’s not his strongest suit.

-o0o-

Kiryu has visited him today, asking if he’s getting better. He can only nods, not trusting himself to talk after three rounds of screaming and crying.

“Doctor said you asked for Nishiki,” the other man says matter-o-factly.

He steels himself. Ain’t that sound weird, coming from the mouth of supposedly Nishiki himself?

A chuckle breaks the relatively short silence.

“I suppose it’s to be expected”

Huh?

“If you’re not him, then who are you?”

Silence.

What is it with that question? Did Kiryu somehow know him and Nishiki were different? If so, how? How did he manage to know?

Not bother to dwell on those many questions swarming his head, he chooses to answer the other man with a hoarse croak instead.

“Shikiya”

-o0o-

Days pass by as he recovers from his wounds. Kiryu visits him once in a while. Most of the time, he takes Haruka with him. A pang of guilt pierces him when she tells him that Yumi died too that night. He apologizes to her, but she tells him it’s fine. He wonders how much of that is true to her.

At times, Kiryu visits him alone, having dropped Haruka to some trusted subordinates.

(Majima, of all people? Really, Kiryu?

You’ll be surprised if I told you what he’s like, Shikiya…)

During those times, they would chat freely without having to hide anything. They talk about life in general, what the outside world is currently like, and other mundane stuff. Kiryu asks him of himself, not as ‘Nishiki’ but as Shikiya. There are times that he would answer but the other times he just silent.

There’s something off… with Kiryu, though.

Sometimes, when they talk, his voice would sound soft and emotional. Kiryu by no mean a cold man, but he was never being one to be too emotional as well. Even if he cries, he still retains some coolness with him. This one’s different. He doesn’t know what it is, it’s just too uncharacteristically gentle and too sentimental to be Kiryu.

Other times, it’s the opposite. His tone would sound mischievous and mocking. Unlike the other voice, this one is completely out of character for it to be Kiryu. Too playful to be him. It is as if there’s venom every time he talks. He does realize it’s just for the show, that this voice does not always talk like this. Still, it makes his whole body shivers in uncertainty and rage. One time, that voice had the audacity to flirt with him. Shikiya wished his palm connected with the other man’s cheek the moment he swung it at him but part of him was relieved he didn’t hurt Kiryu over such trivial thing.

-o0o-

In a few days, he will be discharged from hospital. Most of his burnt scars has healed. Shikiya breaths a relieved sigh. He might need to go back to his mess of a family but he’s ready to face the consequences.

Even if it’s without Nishiki.

-o0o-

Kiryu had offered himself to stay by his side for the night. As always, Haruka was dropped somewhere else, this time by her own classmate’s house. Slumber party, he’d say. Shikiya couldn’t help but chuckle at the mental image.

“Y’know… I was wondering…”

That stupid cheerful voice again…

“Hmm?”

“I don’t remember you being blinded. Sure, you were in point blank position. But, if I’m not mistaken, the doctor said your head was intact. So how come you’re having bandages around your eyes?”

Shikiya’s blood runs cold. He hadn’t accounted that Kiryu would ask around for his condition, hoping he’d assumed the bandage was due to some kind of head trauma. Gotta find a plausible reason for it. He’s not ready to tell him it was to isolate himself from even taking a glimpse of those wretched vision.

“U-Umm… He said I got injured on the back”

Silence. He could almost practically feel Kiryu’s gaze on him. He gulps.

“Really?”

He nods.

Another silence.

Shikiya hopes the other man just dropped the subject already.

As the silence stretches far and wide, he sighs as he hears scraping sound of chair against tiles. Kiryu must’ve left for something. The window, maybe. Shikiya lets himself relaxes, leaning his back against the pillow propping behind him.

Something struggles to yank the bandages.

Panic shot through his entire system.

He pins his palms hard against the bandages, grounding it to his face. He cries out a protest.

“W-What are you doing?! Stop it!!”

Kiryu doesn’t listen, judging from the ever-increasing vigor in forcefully ripping the coverings away. Shikiya desperately clings to it, begging for him to not take it away from him.

As the last shred of the cloth falls onto his lap, Shikiya feels his hands being gripped and pried away from his face. He glares at the other man, barring his teeth threateningly. He would’ve maintained that look had his vision’s not being filled with that blurred, muted scene as before. Right in front of him, the same glaring red lines swims about, outlining a shape of a face.

Something different this time. Something that drains any color from Shikiya’s face.

A pair of dark, eerie grayish green eyes bore into his soul.

He squeezes his eyes shut, refusing to look into the nightmare before him.

“Oi! Look at me!”

He feels his body being shaken.

He still refuses to look.

Suddenly, the grip around his hands disappear. He chances himself a look. The lines outlining the other man get yanked as if some force had pushed them away from him. Both men pant raggedly. Silence falls once more, only being accompanied by their heaving breaths. The two watch each other as if having a staring contest.

The lines are still there but what were once eerie green eyes has been replaced by soft blue hue.

“Shikiya…”

The soft-spoken one…

The outline slowly approaches him, cautious not to agitate him too much. He scoots back but his ass already hits the bed’s headboard. Once the outline stands beside him, he looks up at it. His breaths already calm down a bit but it’s still clear from his expression that he’s still panicking inside.

A hand reaches out to his. He considers pulling away.

“Shiki… It’s okay…”

That voice… So gentle…

He flinches when they make contact.

“Close your eyes… Take a deep breath…”

He does so. One, two, three…

That hand squeezes gently against his.

So warm…

He slowly opens his eyes and looks to the side. Everything is back to normal, crisp and full of colors. The lines are gone. There, Kiryu gives him a concerned look. Soft blue hue glows from his eyes.

Was it always blue like that?

“Kiryu…?”

A blink.

Ethereal blue replaced with familiar brown.

“Shikiya…”

Sighing, he lets himself slumping against the headboard, his hand squeezes back at Kiryu’s.

“I’m sorry…”

No, please don’t apologize you idiot! It’s not your fault, it’s mine! I’m the one getting worked up over nothing!

But… was it really nothing…?

He feels like he wants to cry.

-o0o-

Kiryu had explained everything.

The visions… Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Allowing its user to see the lines of death, the concept of longevity given form. If you cut the line, its owner will cease to live.

Shikiya wouldn’t believe him the first time, thinking he was fucking with him.

Kiryu himself doesn’t seem to be sure about it as well.

He had another guy do the explaining again later.

It’s still him, red shirt and grey suit pants. The blazer had been hanging on the chair’s backrest. But his eyes are different. It glows soft blue from within, overshadowing its natural brown color. His tone, tender than Kiryu’s usual tone.

It’s him. The soft-spoken one.

His name is Sakamoto Ryoma.

Shikiya feels like he’s gonna faint. If Nishiki didn’t pay attention to history classes back at school, Shikiya would’ve think Kiryu’s fucking with him again. Too bad that wasn’t the case (and Kiryu’s shit at acting anyway).

The historical figure, who is currently possessing Kiryu (his descendant, for fuck sake! Shikiya wouldn’t have knew. Nishiki wouldn’t have known), reiterates what his host had explained before only in much more detail and confidence.

Silence ensues as Shikiya tries to process the information.

“Wow…” he whispered.

“Forgive me, Shikiya-kun. I know it’s too much for you to-“

“No, no! It’s okay, Sakamoto-san! It’s just… I didn’t expect to have such power”

“Please, Ryoma’s fine”

He nods.

Neither speaks after that.

Another awkward silence.

Shikiya’s the one breaking the silence this time.

“So, umm… Ryoma-san?”

“Hmm?”

“If you… Were you…”

Shikiya sighs.

“Yes?”

“Is there… someone else? Well, beside you and Kiryu, I mean…”

Ryoma blinks.

“What do you mean?”

Shikiya’s face heats up.

“I-I mean! There’s this… one. Back when I see nothing but darkness. He’s like, y’know? He has Kiryu’s voice but talk like a dick to me. Sounds like an asshole! Fucker keeps teasing me every time! Do you know that he once tried to flirt with me? N-Not like I like it or anything! I already have a crush!”

The not-quite Kiryu blinks before bursting into a laugh.

“D-Don’t laugh!” Shikiya bashfully reprimands.

“S-Sorry! It’s just- I know too well who are you talking about,” Ryoma answers once he calms down, wiping away the tear from the corner of his eye.

“Really? Who is it, then?”

The not-quite Kiryu clears his throat before looking at Shikiya with a serious expression, as if he wasn’t just laughing his ass off from the other’s minor inconvenience a second ago.

“Yes. But… Do you really want to see him? Last time you two together, it wasn’t a pleasant experience”

Shikiya frowns at that, recalling what happened last night. The forceful hands, how close his face was, how he sent shiver down his spine when their eyes meet even just for a moment and how it was distorted by his vision. Sighing, he closes his eyes and thinks. Ryoma patiently waits for him, not wanting to make the other man uncomfortable. A minute passed before Shikiya opens his eyes and looks back at Ryoma, nodding a confirmation.

It’s Ryoma’s turn to sigh and close his eyes. Shikiya watches expectantly and wonders. Who is the other man? What makes him so insufferable and yet so endearing?

Before he got his answers, the corner of Kiryu’s lip curls into a manic smile. When he opens his eyes, it glows eerie green. The same one Shikiya saw in his nightmarish vision. Shikiya’s body ceases its movement yet also shivering in anticipation. When he talks, it’s in the same annoying tone as Shikiya remembered.

“It’s been a while, Shikiya!”

The not-quite Kiryu brings up his thumb and forefinger to hold Shikiya’s chin with, causing the latter to flinch. He pushes his chin up, forcing the other to look at him.

“Didn’t know you miss me that much~!”

Fear is all Shikiya know at that moment, recalling the nightmare from earlier night. Noticing this, the not-quite Kiryu frowns and let go of his grip, sighing.

“Hey… Sorry about yesterday… I didn’t mean to scare you… I thought- If you face fear head on, you’d-“

A sigh.

“Look… I’m sorry… I promise something like that wouldn’t happen again…”

He doesn’t trust his words.

Rage-filled punch crashes against the side of Kiryu’s cheek, throwing him off his seat. Shikiya breaths heavily before realizing what he had done, looking at his fisted hand in horror.

“S-Sorry! I-I didn’t know what’s gotten into-“

Soft shuffling noises echo through the room as his victim gets up. Footsteps clacking against the floor, approaching him. And then…

SMACK!!

Red handprint forms on his pale cheek. His lips slightly ajar, stunned at the sudden slap.

“Fight me”

“Eh?”

He looks up at the other man. Gone was that playfulness. His expression devoid of emotion. It is as if he is a different person, yet the cold grayish green eyes staring back says otherwise.

“If you hate me that much, then it’s only fair for you to fight me”

An invitation. Every fiber of his being is screaming to turn it down. To brush it off and cowers in fear, even if it’s not like him to do such thing. Warning him that he wouldn’t stand a chance against the man before him.

Yet, he takes the bait. Turning his fear and sadness into anger, he springs out from his bed, hitting the man with such ferocity it leaves a bruise swelling. His vision blurs, red lines wrapping around his opponent.

Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Allowing its user to see the lines of death

Kiryu’s words echo on the back of his mind. Momentarily, panic courses through his body. However, he soon turns it into a manic desire. A desire to kill this man before him who had so rudely mock and taunt him.

If you cut the line, its owner will cease to live.

Let’s see if it’s true or not…

Shikiya frantically grabs anything sharp from the table beside him. Anything to cut those lines. His palm pressing against a cold metal surface.

Good, he thinks. This’ll do…

Murderous glint reflects on his eyes as he swings the object at the not-quite Kiryu. The other man dodges it, cruel smile spreads through his lips. His eyes show the same murderous glint as his are, a sight so out of place on Kiryu’s face he just wants to punch it out of disgust. It doesn’t matter, though, as the two set into a wild and fast-paced brawl. Shikiya moves swiftly, aiming for a slash, but his movements are frantic and erratic, going for nothing but the kill. The not-quite Kiryu, meanwhile, evades in such grace and finesse, occasionally throwing a defensive punch at his opponent. They both move as if it’s a choreographed dance except for the frenzied speed of each fighters. Crashes and thuds fill the room they’re in, ransacking it mercilessly with their exchanged blows.

Their fight concluded soon after, with Shikiya straddling Kiryu’s hips and looking down at him. His right hand clutching on the metal object tightly. Both fighters pant heavily, chests heaving from the adrenaline. Shikiya lifts his hands, clasping his fingers around the metal object. Rage-filled expression directed to his opponent, expression unreadable as he watches him. With a cry, he swings the object down…

…it stabs the tiled floor beside Kiryu’s head.

Bitter laugh escapes Shikiya’s mouth. His body trembles as he let out a soft sob.

“I… I can’t…”

He lets go of the object. Clatter fills the otherwise silent room before it too ceases its sound.

“Heh… It’s weird… I’ve been wanting to kill you for what you did… Been wanting to silence you for talking shit to me… And yet, I… I can’t…”

Another sob.

“Why can’t I kill you…? Why… Why don’t I wanna kill you?!”

The not-quite Kiryu’s face soften. The manic smirk and cold scowl have been replaced with as small sad smile. He brings up his hand to brush away Shikiya’s stray hair and cups his cheek. Shikiya flinches but lets him to do so, placing his hand on top of Kiryu’s. He hadn’t realized his flowing hair until now. Fuck! He must’ve look like Nishiki right now. The mental image is enough to make tears welling up his eyes, still unable to cope with the other’s passing. He feels sick for wearing the look of his fallen friend. Kiryu’s thumb swipes away the tear.

“You did good, kid…”

That’s all the other man offers him. He glances to his side, looking at the object that could be his downfall. Shikiya follows his gaze. His eyes go wide when he sees it, realization dawns to him.

A bent spoon lays non-threateningly against the tiled floor.

Shikiya had been trying to kill Kiryu with a goddamn spoon.

The idiocy doesn’t escape him. He laughs, softly at first before turning into a maniacal laugh and ends with a choked one. All the while Kiryu’s hand still attached to his cheek. Shikiya leans to the touch. He closes his eyes, sighing as waves after waves of emotion crashes against him.

“Hey…” He calls the other out in a whisper. “Can I… borrow your shoulder… for a bit?”

The not-quite Kiryu looks up at him and nods, groaning as he feels the shift in weight. Shikiya has laid himself on top of him, face buried against his shoulder. He’s too tired to cry, too tired to argue and talk. He inhales a generous amount of air. Smell of sweat and cologne enters his nostrils, lulling him to unconsciousness. He feels a hand combing through his soft, messy hair. Through Nishiki’s hair. Another pang of guilt stabs him, though he’s too exhausted to dwell on it.

“Musashi…”

Shikiya hums questioningly, muffled only by the fabric of Kiryu’s shirt. He doesn’t bother to look at the other in this state.

“Name’s Miyamoto Musashi”

He hums again, this time in content. He finally allows himself drifting to sleep, aware of Kiryu’s strong arms hugging him securely.

-o0o-

The hospital bill suddenly spikes up. Not from the increase of tax but from the property damage he and Kiryu had caused in his room earlier this morning. Shikiya had insisted he would be the one covering for the bill with the Nishikiyama family’s treasury but Kiryu didn’t listen, apologizing and promising the doctor to take responsibility for the damage they’d done. Just before he left, Kiryu – no, Musashi – had offered to teach him how to control the Mystic Eyes but he refused, not wanting to burden the other man with his problem.

(Wait, THE Miyamoto Musashi?! Kiryu, what the fuck is your family, man?! Are you secretly related to all of Japan’s most influential people?!

Shiki, believe me when I said I’m just as surprised as you… I never knew that until these two came into my life. Did Ryoma-no-niisan tell you he’s part of Shinsengumi as well?

But… Wasn’t Sakamoto Ryoma their enemy? How was he part of Shinsengumi?

Yeah… He’s also Saito Hajime…

He WHAT?!)

And after that, he’s left alone. The room had been cleaned from hazardous debris, though the broken and bent furniture are yet to be fixed. Shikiya sighed and laid back to his bed. So much had happened in such a short time. He shut his eyes, imagining Nishiki’s voice and presence. He wished the other half was still there with him but with everything that had happened? He doubted he’s still alive. Yet he kept on hoping, praying that he survived.

Frustrated, Shikiya forced himself to sleep, convincing himself to just forget it already.

-o0o-

When he opened his eyes, all he saw was nothing. He was floating aimlessly in this absolute void. He thought he was dead. Felt like he’s dead. Yet, another part of him felt alive. As if there were nothing life-threatening happened to him before.

           Where am I?

He thinks to himself.

Why am I here?

Am I alive? Am I dead?

What had happened to him?

What of-

His train of thoughts were interrupted by ghoulish wails in the distance. He looked around, finding nothing but complete darkness. Then he saw it. Writhing masses of restless spirits came into view. The macabre sight almost sending him running on his heels in fear. But then he heard something else, not quite an echoing wail of a spirit. Rather, a whimper of a lost soul trapped among the land of the dead.

Please!

Get away from me!

Leave me alone!

Swallowing, he cautiously approached the masses of death. Then he saw it. Black, slicked back hair. White suit and pants. A figure standing hunched. His back was facing him, hands clutching tightly at the hair it almost looked like it got ripped from its roots.

He recognized that look, recognized that voice.

As he drew closer, flashes of emotions struck him.

Regret. Sadness. Anger. Fear. Guilt. Pain. Anguish.

Loss.

Suddenly, he understood. As the ghouls closing in toward the lost soul, he took action.

Kicking. Punching. Biting. Stomping. Smashing.

He put everything into his being to protect this lost soul, distant yet familiar.

Then he saw it.

Red lines coiling around the ghouls.

He didn’t understand at first but he figured he’d find out as he went.

He noticed at last.

Spirits ceasing to exist once the lines were cut.

And so he did. Cutting every last visible line on the wretched spirits until there’s no more of them.

He looked back at the lost soul. Glaring red lines plastered on its being.

He shook his head.

No, I wouldn’t kill him.

After what I did to protect him.

I wouldn’t waste my effort just to end him.

The lines disappeared.

He approached the lost soul.

He hugged the poor soul.

He whispered the soul’s name.

Shikiya…

The one he had called tensed and slowly turns around, tears staining his pale cheeks as their gaze met.

Ni… Nishiki…

He smiled, wiping the other’s tears with his finger.

Heh… Who’s the crybaby now?

Shut up… You left me…

I know…

I thought you were gone…

I’m sorry…

I love you…

He kept on. Whispering apologies and sweet nothings. Inching his face closer and closer. Until their lips locked into a gentle kiss. Their eyes fluttered shut. Savoring the moment of tenderness. Never wanting to let go.

-o0o-

Shikiya wakes up gasping for air, eyes pried open as he darts his gaze everywhere in the room. Slowly, he sits up, comprehending on his dream in sleep.

There was darkness. Then the eldritch beings. Then silence. Then the familiar warmth. Then…

Part of him doesn’t believe it was real, brushing it off as a dream. He can’t sense him from within, so surely it can’t be real... Right?

But... Another part of him wants to believe it, clinging onto that sliver of hope. If so, then there’s one thing for sure…

Nishiki is in there somewhere.

Akira Nishikiyama is alive.

He calms down, fingertips ghosting over his lips. A tingling sensation and warmth send shiver down his spine as he remembers the kiss. He breaths, shutting his eyes as he replayed that scene, that feeling over and over in his mind.

-o0o-

The night before he’s officially discharged, he chances himself a look on a mirror. His face looks tired. There’re faint eyebags under his eyes. His hair’s in shambles yet neatly parted in the middle. Stray bangs framing his gaunt face.

He looks like shit.

He looks like Nishiki.

Sighing, he combs his hair backwards in hope to achieve his preferred slick back style. It doesn’t work, as strands of hair fall back to the parted style the moment his hand leaves the scalp. He exhales in frustration, slightly banging the mirror as he leans against it.

Soft thud disturbs the otherwise peaceful night. It comes from outside. Shikiya cautiously removed himself from the mirror and approaches the door. Before his hand touching the cold surface of the doorknob, someone barges in so suddenly.

A man… No, not a man. Foul stench fills the hospital room. Rotten flesh splats on the otherwise pristine floor below. His eyes unfocused, rotating unnaturally in different direction. He pauses for a moment, looking at Shikiya with that ghoulish eyes, before charging at him, knocking him against a wall. Shikiya feels a pair of decaying hands pressing against his neck, his windpipe, choking him. He struggles to pry it off, mind starting to become unfocused as air leaves his lungs steadily. He contemplates giving up and ceasing his struggle. What’s the point of living after everything that happened?

Then he remembers. He remembers the three distinct yet similar voices. He remembers the warmth of skin against skin. He remembers the gentler times. He remembers the smell of something other than hospital, something comforting.

He remembers that dream.

No… I can’t die here now.

Someone murmurs something in the back of his mind.

Live.

With renewed strength, Shikiya pushes the monster away. They hit the window, sending them plummeting to the ground below. Shikiya considers himself lucky as he gets up, although his burnt wounds start to feel sore. The monster stirs from its resting place before he rises from the ground, standing and turning to look at his prey in stumble. Shikiya panics, scenes from his nightmare threatens to fill in his vision. His body shakes as he takes a step back.

Use your Eyes.

Subconsciously, he does. His surroundings turn blurred and muted. Red angry lines wrap around the incoming monster.

Breath. Focus. Focus on killing your enemy.

He closes his eyes. He takes a deep breath. One, two, three…

He hears grasses scrunched under clumsy feet.

You can do this.

That voice, strangely comforting.

He finally calms down, opening his eyes to look at the monster sharply. He bends down and picks up a shard of glass before dashing at him. With one swift stroke, he slashed the monster, shriek in agony echoes through the night. In his vision, he had cut several lines mostly on the torso. Blood sprays from the monster, covering his assailant with the pungent liquid. Shikiya uses the blood to style his hair to the slick back style he’d been trying to get. His lips twitch into a sadistic smile. It’s been a long time since he feels the thrill of killings.

Abruptly, pain pulses in his head. The shard falls from his grip as he drops into his knees, clutching his head harshly. There’s something in there. Something that forces his soul to leave his body. He withholds, not wanting to be defeated so easily.

I’ll take care of it.

That’s when he feels himself being pulled into the depths of mind. He doesn’t see it but he can feel it. Warmth coursing through his being as familiar hands guiding him. His body moves in automaton, picking up the fallen shard and points its sharp end to his chest.

Trust me with this.

So he did, letting the shard stabs through his chest.

Strange… That doesn’t hurt at all.

Screams and wails overflowing his ears, yet it’s not his voice nor the voice that had been guiding him. The shard slides out with ease once the noises disappears into the night. His body feels light, as if the burden had been lifted from his shoulder. For a moment, he experiences peace.

Shikiya…

That voice whispered his name, gentle and serene. He whispers back, equally as soft.

Nishiki…

Tears pricking the corner of his eyes. He had missed that name for a long time. Ever since the day the older soul retreated into nothingness, returning briefly only to almost disappearing completely from within.

Strong yet tender arms ghosting around his body, hugging him from behind. Shikiya could sense Nishiki’s presence, even if he can’t see him. He rests a hand above Nishiki’s right above his heart. The heart beats steadily. He gazes upwards. Clear night sky speckled with twinkling stars greets his vision.

That’s the last thing he sees before he blacks out.

-o0o-

“How is he?”

“Hmm?”

Kiryu pays him a visit in the afternoon. He has heard the news that the patient Akira Nishikiyama had jumped off from his room and was found unconscious and caked in blood the next day on a clearing behind the hospital, along with an unidentified and mangled corpse. The doctor had decided to extend his stay for a day until he truly recovers. Now, they sit in the messy room, product of the duel a few days back and of that night’s scuffling.

“How’s the other guy?”

“Oh. He’s fine. Just exhausted. Poor guy must’ve gone through a lot after I disappeared”

Kiryu nods in understanding.

The man before him. The Koi. Kazama’s boy. Kiryu’s sworn brother. He’s looking out to the horizon, expression unreadable.

“Kiryu?”

“Yes?”

A pause.

“Thank you…For taking care of Shikiya while I’m gone”

Nishiki turns his head toward him, his lips formed into a grateful smile.

Kiryu couldn’t help but smiles back.

“Anything for my brother”

He’s sure his ancestors would agree with him.

FIN

[sh1tbird-shantytown]

Harringrove Week Day One

prompt uses: Hellraiser and I Wanna Dance with Somebody (title)

read on ao3 - Clock Strikes Upon the Hour

Billy closed the door of the car and set to buckle up just as he noticed Steve still standing outside. He dunked his head and waved a hand out to catch his attention.

“Harrington?” he sung sarcastically, “Come on, man, I gotta check on Max by eight.” Steve released his gaze from the movie theater they had just exited and physically shook whatever it was that distracted him out of his head.

“Sorry, I was just thinking,” he clicked his seatbelt into place and settled his hands in his lap as Billy turned the key and and put the Camaro into reverse.

“Well, that’s concerning, you okay?” he draped his arm over the back of Steve’s seat and looked back as he exited the spot and continued on. Opting to rest his right hand on the center console instead.

Steve laughed sarcastically and looked out the window, “You’re real funny, you know that? Absolutely hilarious. I wouldn’t have agreed to this if you were planning on making fun of me.”

Billy rolled his eyes as he took his turn out into the street, “Everyone makes fun of you, Harrington. It’s why everyone likes you so much, you’ve got layers.”

Steves scoffed and crossed his arms, “Not my point, but whatever.”

Silence passed after that until Billy got bored, “Were you checking out a girl?”

Steve jumped a little in his seat, “What? No! I don’t do that.” It was Billy’s turn to scoff. Steve glowered, “Why do you care anyway? You literally came out to me a month ago, you don’t have to keep pretending you care.”

He shrugged, “Maybe I do care.”

Steve rolled his eyes, “Yeah, okay.” A strange expression became apparent on his face, but he turned away before Billy could read too far into it.

They were about to pass Fair Mart until Steve sat up straight and pointed rapidly, “Pull in!”

Billy sighed even as he turned his turn signals on, “Harrington, I swear to God.”

“I’m thirsty.”

“We’ll be at the trailer in ten minutes!”

Steve crossed his arms and stared directing in his face, “I need to piss.”

“Gross.”

Billy parked and turned the car off, humidity immediately filling out the cabin. Steve opened the door as soon as the doors could be unlocked and ran inside the run down store. Billy groaned up at the ceiling before trudging out and dragging his boots along the gravel.

The bell chimed, “Harrington!” he called. The cashier’s head turned up at his loud yell and her eyes went a little wide as he waved offhandedly before traveling deeper into the short aisles. “Steve, where the Hell did you go?”

Steve’s head popped up just under one of the cooler doors along the walls, eyes immediately on Billy as he wandered over, “Watch your mouth in public.”

Billy sighed at the floor, “Yeah, alright. But, remember what I said about being back to my place by eight? Susan’s back at nine and I still have to make sure Max is where she’s supposed to be and the dishes are done.”

Steve furrowed his brows and began walking over to the nosey cashier, can of Pepsi in his hand, “I thought you asked Max to do the dishes.”

“I did,” he crossed his arms and watched as Steve handed over a wrinkled dollar, “But, Max is a child and can’t be trusted to do simple tasks. Susan can’t take the extra stress right now with all the more people out in the summer.” She’d taken Joyce Byers’s old job, and a bunch of people in town had some kind of problem with it, for some reason.

Steve smiled to the girl as he took the receipt and then at Billy before shrugging in feigning nonchalance, “Trust her just this once?”

Billy glared, “Why? What are you doing?”

Steve opened the can and took a swig, headed back to the doors, “Let’s go.”

“Harrington!” Billy called, only to be ignored. He grumbled useless threats as he made for the glass doors. The girl coughed and he looked at her impatiently mid-step.

“Can I have your number, by chance?”

He rolled his eyes, uncaring as her face mushed together in a rejected puddle before he’d even answered, “Don’t have one for you.”

He stomped out of the chilly store and aggressively kicked at the loose stones littered all over the parking lot. His jeans were going to get dusty around the cuffs, but all he could focus on was how Steve waited so patiently leaned against the hood of the Camaro with the soda can against his cheek. Eyes on the dimming sun.

Once they were back in the shrouded safety of the Camaro, Steve decided to finally open his damned mouth.

“I didn’t like the ending of the movie.” He didn’t add anything, he didn’t explain what he meant. Which meant it was about to be a long ass drive and a waste of gas because Steve Harrington wanted to talk and Billy would sacrifice anything to keep hearing his voice. So, the blinker directed to the opposite direction of Forest Hills. He turned left.

“You didn’t like the ending? Or was it the whole movie? I’m surprised you even agreed to watch it, doesn’t seem like your kind of film.”

Steve shrugged and kept his eyes trained on the dashboard, “I’m not a big movie person in general. But, it was mainly just the ending. I didn’t like it.”

Billy bit his lip and let the quiet mingle for a moment, “Alright, why didn’t you like the ending, Harrington?”

Steve pressed his lips together, as if he were trying not to cry, “Because the ending made it seem like there was no point.”

Billy pondered it, kept driving straight, “Because the cycle continued? Because it made it seem like it was going to happen all over again?”

Steve nodded, eyes a little too wide, “Yeah! Like, all that pain and suffering. All that betrayal, all that sacrifice and courage for what? Another group to suffer through the same?”

Billy tapped his fingers against the wheel, “Well, maybe the next guy’s brother’s wife didn’t cheat. So he won’t have help then.”

Steve noticeably chewed on the inside of his cheek, “But, that’s not the point. The point is that, it wasn’t worth it.”

“What wasn’t worth it?” Billy looked over at the other boy with a creased brow. “You don’t think the fight was worth it in the end?”

Steve rubbed his eyes, “Yes? No? I don’t know.”

Billy pursed his lips and laid his head back against the headrest, “I think it was.” He felt Steve’s eyes bore into his skull like lasers. “Because at least the good guys are alive.” He looked back over, “Right?” Steve nodded and he looked away.

But then, “The bad guys still got away though.”

He shrugged, “It’s not their problem anymore though. The bad people got what they deserved. The mortals anyway.” Steve was quiet for so long after that, Billy thought the conversation was actually over.

“You think the wife deserved what she got after cheating?”

“She helped him kill innocent people, Steve, it was a little more than just having an affair after that.”

“Yeah,” Steve nodded, “I still didn’t like the ending though.”

Billy scratched a blunt nail on the wheel, “I didn’t either, but it was still a good movie.”

Steve shifted in his seat, knees closer together and shoulders more hunched, “I didn’t think you liked it.”

Billy’s eyes widened in surprise and he chuckled unsurely, “What makes you say that?”

Steve’s eyes shifted back and forth between Billy and the road, “You were mad at most of the parts.”

“Sometimes that’s a reaction to horror.”

“You cried.”

Billy hadn’t thought Steve had looked at him at all during the film, “What?”

Steve’s eyes were brimmed with a weird sort of concern, “You cried when it was reveled Julia was cheating with her husband’s brother. You cried when Kirsty and Steve reunited at the end. So, I don’t think you liked it.”

Billy turned his blinker on again and pulled off to the side of the road. Steve didn’t look any sort of shocked.

“I’m allowed to feel emotions,” he told Steve.

“Yes you are,” he got back with a nod and proud eyes.

“I watch movies because I like feeling the refreshing emotion they give off. It’s how you can tell if it’s a good movie or not.”

Steve smiled and his fingers touched Billy’s forearm still up from his hands glued to the wheel, “So, you actually really liked the movie.” It was shaky, but Billy nodded in agreement. His hair grazing his shoulders. “Okay.” Like whiplash, Billy turned his head back at the windshield in a flash.

“You could’ve just asked if I liked it. Like a normal person.”

Steve smiled tightly, “I’m not normal.”

Billy hesitated, but he grinned back shyly, “Yeah, me neither.”

They sat there in even more quiet, not a single car in sight. And just when Billy began to turn the wheel back out, Steve touched his forearm again.

“I love you,” he grappled his dull nails into Billy, “You know that right?”

Immediate tears sprung to his eyes, “What?”

“I love you,” Steve nodded his head down, “And I wanted you to know. I needed you to know.”

Billy landed a steely gaze back on him, “Steve, what are you trying to do?”

No hesitation, none at all. “I’m telling you the truth before it’s too late.” He dug his thumb into the hem of his white shirt as Billy stared. “I have this feeling, like the last I’ve-Lost-Count amount of times, something bad is coming.” He looked up at the cloudy sky and Billy did the same before returning his eyes directly back to Steve. “I don’t have a good feeling. And I want to say what I need to before something irreversible happens.”

Billy bit his nail, not breaking it, “What are you feeling, Harrington?” Steve didn’t look back. “Steve.”

He sighed big and long before he responded, “I’ve been getting nose bleeds. And I’m starting to feel like I did after last year’s battle. After, when the bat bites kicked in. When….”

“We need to get you to a doctor, that’s what it sounds like.”

“Yes, but, they said, as long as there’s no connection open anymore between us and that world, technically those Demobats don’t exist anymore. If there’s no connection between our worlds, than there’s no way for them to effect me. And— And even if that wasn’t true, and it was just some bullshit speak from the government medics. Something they thought would calm me down before they injected me with another mystery serum, like I haven’t experienced that enough. Why now? Why, all of a sudden, a year later? I wake up in the night and it’s like my eyes think it’s day. And that movie made me think about it, after I’ve been putting it off. What’s the point, if it never ends?”

Billy took Steve’s left hand and intertwined their fingers together tight. “Who else have you told?”

“No one. I’m scared, Billy. And I’ve never been so scared for myself before as I am now. I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

“Don’t let a stupid movie get to your head, Pretty Boy.”

“It’s not stupid.” And Billy should be proud, because they had been working on getting Steve to stick up for himself when the others got a little too demeaning in their side-jokes. To not take it to hear. But, this made him sad and mad and…a lot of emotions really. For Steve Harrington who he never would have guessed would be here in his patchy car after a movie date-not-date. “It was like some sort of reality check. I’ve been in the Party for years now. Actual years. I’ve fought monsters every time. Every year I’ve almost died countless times, and yet,” he rubbed his whole face so the last part was muffled, “What’s the fucking point, Billy?”

“You don’t think I understand?” Billy pressed his lips in a thin, annoyed line.

“No, I know you understand. Better than anyone.” Steve’s hand was trembling and his other one stuffed itself under Steve’s thigh. “Other then than Will, but he’s still just a kid.”

“What are you trying to say, Stevie?” Billy watched as the walls crumbled off of Steve’s face. Inch by inch.

“I’m scared that this time I’ll be the bad guy. I’m terrified of it.“ Tears built up in Steve’s eyes and Billy realized he’d never seen Steve cry.

“Then we’ll make a plan, to keep us all safe. You’re not alone.” He leaned in over the console, just to catch Steve’s eyes again. A little shocked as he just noticed a reddish tint to the brown.

“It feels like I am. A lot. And I don’t want that to be my downfall. What if I need someone. Who would I choose? I’d like to think any one of them would take me down if it came down to that. That they’d know better, but I don’t think that’s the truth. They’d hesitate.” That was what made Billy snap a little. Because, Steve was an open book. He was emotional and honest, had his heart on his sleeve exposed to the world. But, even that right there was a terrible admittance.

“You don’t think I would too?”

Steve leaned his head down and rested his forehead against Billy’s shoulder, “I think you’d know what you’d have to do even if it meant the sacrifice of someone else. You know better than anyone that one sacrifice is worth less than all of those kids.””

And wasn’t that just the à la mode on the hot apple pie. Billy knew people viewed him as a walking corpse. And he knew he was held to a standard. People like the Wheeler’s would almost expect him to sacrifice himself for a second time around if it came down to it. Sure, there would be others to volunteer, but no one would let the kids get away with something like that. He’d set his bar. But Steve? No one would even think about hurting Steve. Not until it was too late. So, Billy had to admit that Harrington was right. Everyone else would hesitate and cost the lives of everyone else.

Steve needed someone strong and reliable. Someone he loved and trusted enough to rely on completely.

Billy brushed the hair out of Steve’s exposed eye and kissed his forehead, “I’ve got you, Steve. I’ve got you.”

[lampmanliveblogs]

Episode twelve! Now… I have been warned about this episode. I don’t know yet what it’s about, but I know it’s gonna be big. I’ve even been lucky and managed to avoid seeing the title so as of this writing I have practically no spoilers. A comment left by a certain theorist cat makes me think it might be about Hunter and/or Belos though.

Regardless of what it’s actually going to be, I know it will be big. So let’s not waste any more time and get into it.

We open with a shot of Luz own version of my conspiracy corner. Except hers is cooler because it’s cork board and not just a wall, she is better at drawing than me, she has a glove soaked in an ancient Titan’s life blood powerful enough to pierce dimensions, AND she has red string! I wish I had red string.

She is trying to figure out how to make a new portal door that will actually work and won’t collapse. We see her theorizing about whether there is more Titan’s Blood to be found and asking why Belos needs the portal. We can also see the photo of her, Eda & King from the Grom episode, as well as a helpful reminder from King to hydrate. She also made a note to buy a new glove for Amity, which, while sweet, is probably unnecessary. Amity’s rich, I think she can buy a new glove on her own. Heck, she probably owns more than one pair of gloves to begin with.

Lilith spotted! Gwendolyn spotted! And… is that… what’s his name, the potions guy… Morten? Morten spotted!

That bowl Hooty is holding with the eyes made me think of a joke. I was going to tell you it… but then I realized it only works in swedish. Whoops.

Anyways, this looks like a birthday. Is it Lilith’s birthday?

Judging by how uncomfortable Lilith looks as opposed to everyone else looking happy, I’m guessing it really is her birthday.

So in addition to Gwendolyn, Morten (whom she might’ve befriended now that she need elixirs from him), Eda and King, there is also Tiny Nose (who I guess is friends with Lilith?), and, uh… whoever that is on the left. I think I’ll call you call you… Blueish Purple. A very self-explanatory name, please don’t ask me why I went with that.

Lastly, there is the Emperor’s Coven scout. Not gonna lie, I saw him and started laughing, he looks so out of place. But hey, Lilith was in the Coven for what, thirty years? She’s bound to have (had) at least some friends. Most of them probably don’t wanna associate with her now that she’s a traitor, but I guess this guy stuck around.

I’m gonna go ahead and guess that’s Steve? He was with Lilith in one scene in an episode in season one. And to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have remembered that if it wasn’t for my sister. She’s a big fan of The Owl House (thanks to me, I’m the one who gets her into all the good shows) and she mentioned Steve once.

(oh, and Lilith is wearing glasses. I quickly went back and checked, and she wasn’t wearing them in episode four, but she was during her short appearance last episode and I didn’t notice)

If I had just waited a few more seconds, I would have not only seen Steve’s shirt that helpfully informs us of his name (I actually have a shirt like that; our grandparents gave me and my siblings shirts with our names on them for Christmas last year), but I would’ve also known that is, in fact, not Lilith’s birthday, Instead, she has become the assistant curator of the Supernatural Museum of History.

…wait, where did Tiny Nose go? And why is King’s glass knocked over? The shot-reverse-shot was literally less than ten seconds, what happened? Did we accidentally stumble into another timeline again?

The character I dubbed Blueish Purple turns out to actually be names Floar DeSplora.

A quick google search tells me her actual name is Flora D’splora. She is Lilith’s former mentor and a ”bad girl historian.” I don’t know what that is, but what I do know is that she is extra as can be. She used a whip to grab one of Hooty’s delectable appetizers, only to throw it to the side. She then used her whip to pull a griffin out of the sky to fly off on. Oh, and I guess she also said something about the Emperor wanting Lilith to stay out of trouble.

I say I don’t know what a bad girl historian, but between the historian, the whip and the adventurer part, I’m thinking this character might’ve taken a few cues from Indiana Jones.

(Edit: Future Lampman here. I realize Flora’s namesake later on)

So history is being brought up. There is a lot of interesting history that I would love to learn. The history of King’s family is one thing that comes to mind. Another is the history of Philip Wittebane, his brother, and Belos. We did see Luz working on the second portal door as well as the Echo Mouse Musse. Maybe this episode will be about Lilith going on an adventure (to show that she can be a bad girl historian too) and we end up learning something important.

[lover4st]

cold winters; steve harrington

Word Count:1,897

Warnings: cursing, rude names, and i think that’s it

title says the gist of it

I AM SORRY BUT I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS GIF!

IT HAS MY HEART

IM SORRY I FEEL LIKE THIS IS SUCH A TRASH STORY

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+  

“Steven Harrington, hurry up!” He has promised to take you somewhere that he thought you would like, and you were excited. At first.

Until you went outside realizing how cold it was. You thought Steve was behind you, but once you made it to the car, he was gone. Waiting at the doorstep was cooler since you weren’t stepping in cold grass. You were just standing on your tiny porch. 

“I’m sorry sweetheart, I was looking for your gloves.” He slipped them on your hands with utmost care, carefully getting each finger in the right spot without tugging your hand hard.

"It's fine. 'Just wish you told me so I didn't have to wait out here," sighing a lot louder than necessary so Steve would look down in your eyes again instead of looking at both of your guy’s hands, "all alone." You did your best puppy dog eyes and had your saddest pout. It was blatantly obvious you were joking now.

It is always fun to joke around with your boyfriend, it's something you have never gotten bored of, and you don't think you ever will. Another reason to love it is just how he looks at you.

Well, not really.

It is his eyes. They are extraordinarily beautiful and intricate.

And his small little smirk. He always looks so beautiful. Screw all of your posters and stuff on your walls. You would place pictures and paintings of him in their place. 

“Okay, enough funny business.” He said with a little laugh, “we need to go, I’m way too excited to take you to mess around any longer.” He finally set your arms down and wrapped his own around your waist. It always left nice. You linked and matched perfectly into his side. It’s like you are one of those friendship necklaces that always connect magnificently. 

Steve was a dream boat. Well, now he is. Everyone knows he was a complete asshat in high school.

But he is absolutely perfect now.

He plans amazing dates, which makes you even more excited for this one.

It was always a dream to recall any of them you had with him. 

Especially...

When you woke up in a moving car, you got absolutely freaked out. You thought you were abducted. Who wouldn’t think that if you woke up in a car you weren’t in before? 

The night before you had gone to sleep, you were cuddled up, skin-to-skin, with Steve (he always thought it was more intimate that way). It was such a peaceful night, going to sleep with a movie Steve picked out the day before. Your head was on his chest, his heartbeat was drifting you to sleep. A faint mumble was heard above your head, “tomorrow is going to be one hell of a ride.” There was a little snicker, “literally.”

Could that have been what was going on right now? You squinted your eyes, as small as you could, so you could try to get a look on who was driving. You had to move your head to the right, so they might be convinced you are awake if you don’t do it subtly.

Turning very slowly you see, 

Steve.

That bastard.

Had you scared half to death that you were about to be gone and never to be seen again. 

He turned his head a slight bit and made eye contact with you.

“Good morning sleepy head. You were completely knocked out. Like a pliable dolly.” You finally felt like you were able to move, since you know it was the man you love and trust the most. You looked him over once. He was wearing an outfit like he was about to go out for an adventure. 

He was wearing a pink button shirt that was buttoned until the top 3. You never knew he had this shirt. It must have been new. Well, he for sure needs to wear it often. He was wearing khakis, which was always somewhat of a surprise. Steve was never known for ever wearing them. 

He looked so pretty. Adorable even.

“Are you zoning out, you are just staring at me dolly.” He waved his hand in your face a little bit. 

“Sorry, I just got a little distracted.” How wouldn’t you? “Um, what are we doing?” You dug the heel of your palm into your eyes so you could somewhat wake yourself up.

“We are going around a little bit today. I want to outdo all our other dates, and have one with pure adventure, smiles, and happiness. And this one will last the entire day.” You looked around the car a little more, there was some stuff in the backseat. You could see some blankets and towels, a few changes of clothes for both of you, some snackies and food, and your polaroid camera. “I hope I brought all the necessary equipment for you. Thought we could make some memories.”

Wow, how addicted you can be to a man you have only spent a few months with.

“We are almost at our first actual destination.” Where could you be going? All you see are trees at the moment. Until the true beauty was shown to you. 

It was water, a lake. 

But it was cut off abruptly with a wall of stone at the end.

It was a dam?

“This is Brookville Lake Dam; we can’t go swimming in it, but I just thought it would be nice to look at.” It is for sure a change of scenery for you both. Stuck in Hawkins, you don’t really see things like this.

He kept on taking peeks at you to try to see more of your reaction. 

“It’s grand.” Spectacular. Wishing there would be more trips like this in your future. Maybe even more far away from your hometown.

“I’m glad you like it, if it makes you happy, it was definitely worth the trouble.” 

“What trouble?” He went silent.

“Don’t worry about it sweetheart.” He took your hand and held it right next to the gear shift. 

The rest of that day was filled with photos and kisses. And of course, memories.

Best

day

ever...

Now both of you were sitting in the same exact way again, hands held next to the gear shift. Off on another adventure.

Another one that you don’t know what to expect. But you were never scared with Steve. He always has your best interests in mind. He always makes sure you are on board with everything he does. But he still has his surprises.

You are going down a road that you don’t think you have ever been on. It’s not recognizable. You don’t remember it. You have picked up the map of Hawkins tons of times to get to where you want to go. But you don’t think you have ever seen this one on it.

It’s pretty secluded. On a road with the only thing really in view, are the trees you are passing by. It makes you more excited than anything. New road, new place. New memories. Steve is singing to one of his favorite songs while using your entwined hands as his microphone. While you are dozing off to the type of calm and relaxation that you have never felt, except when you were with him.

Your darling boy, 

Steve. 

There is now a tiny place in view far up ahead. You hadn’t seen anything for a while so maybe this is the place he wanted to take you. You couldn’t see the sign; it might be hidden behind some trees. The place has gotten closer and closer before you were pulling up. Ah, you were right.

“Alright dolly, we’re here. Don’t get out of the car.” He always does this. He goes around the car as fast as he can to open the door and pick up instead of letting you walk out like a normal person. You can’t remember a time he hasn’t picked you up while getting out of the car. And he never let’s go until he is at the place he wants to set you down. “So, I heard this place was opening up so I thought we could get our first experience with each other.”

You finally got a look at the sign, ‘Starshine bakery.’ Why would this place get this name? You’ll find out later.

“Of course, Har. Let’s go inside. It’s freezing.” He continued to carry to the door before he set you down so you could see it for yourself. 

You know why it had that name now. It had stars on the roof. Glow in the dark stars. That was one of the only sources of light in the room. There were a few shiny lights pointed to the roof. The lights were reflecting off of it so you could somewhat see.

Steve started walking away to go to a counter. You pitifully followed behind him like a lost puppy, dragging your feet while still looking around. 

Once you got to him you latched onto his arm. He gave you a little laugh.

“Aww, aren’t you a little pretty thing.” Your face flushed and you hid your face in his bicep, “and shy. Such a cutie.” You noticed he started walking back up to order at this strange place. “May we get 2 hot chocolates, one peppermint and one original. And a croissant,” you looked back up at him and he whispered in your ear. “Don’t worry you get to choose which one you want when we get ‘em. Oo, add an Original Jupiter cookie too.”

Steve pulled you with him to wait for your drinks and food. He made you unhook yourself from his arm so you could hug each other. He loves PDA, it’s one of his favorite things. He’s not ashamed of it. To him, it’s a gift to be able to kiss you whenever he wants, wherever he wants. And he does it all the time. He would love to make this moment longer but before you know it, his name is getting called. Your order is ready.

While he goes to get the stuff, you go pick a nice little spot by the tinted windows. You take of your jacket and put it on your seat and wait for Steve to get back. He comes rushing over with the food and places it down. You are staring at him with such aw, but he is looking at something else. He’s looking out the window. What is he looking at?

You turn to try to get a peek at what he is seeing, and you understand it.

It’s snowing. It doesn’t snow that often here. But it’s still special since it’s your first snow with him. 

“It’s beautiful.”

“Well luckily for you, I have your camera in my backseat. And I need you to make some snow angels darling.”

“But Stevie, we just got our stuff.”

“Well too bad, it can wait.” Steve grabbed you and hoisted you up and carried you outside again. You were freezing since he didn’t give you enough time to grab your jacket. 

“Ah, it’s cold.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you warm.” He runs and launches both of you at the same time, together at the ground. The air is filled with your laughs, hot breaths, and snow.

“You are my future Stefano Harrington.”

“As you are mine dolly.”

[normal-thoughts-official]

Top five animals

Oh god how the hell am I supposed to pick between animals. They are all so great and important and I love so many of them for so many different reasons

Okay, I'll give this a shot. I'm sorry other animals

5. Tigers

I used to be obsessed with tigers as a kid, and I do mean obsessed. I had a little binder covered in tiger pics that I'd fill with other tiger pics and articles on tigers and basically anything else I could find on tingers. They aren't particularly unique creatures biology-wise but goddamn if I didn't love those bastards. They are so unique and cool. The hype has died down tho and nowadays I barely remember any tiger facts, but I still see a tiger and go omg look a tiger!!!! The fondness is definitely there so they deserve to be on this list

4. Capybaras

Or as I like to call them

ID: An YouTube video titled "We Found Giant Hamsters On The Streets Of Brazil". The thumbnail is a picture of a capybara on the sidewalk, with a huge red arrow pointing to it and saying, "what is that?". Capybaras are about a human knee's tall rodents with dense brown fur. End ID

There is nothing not to like about capybaras. They are the world's largest living rodent, which is an absolutely crazy thing to be. "Mom I want to be the world's largest rodent!" Timmy what's wrong with you. Yet there they are

And like you'd expect the world's largest rodent to be some kind of Australian nightmare, like a Godzilla rat that eats cables and wrecks the city or whatever, but they are such chill animals. In my uni there is a large river that runs along campus and there are always capybaras just chilling there. One of my friends even petted one of them. I don't think I've ever even seen one of them moving at all. Ideal life

Like look at these guys

ID: Close-up of a capybara's face. They are staring ahead of them. Their head is rectangular and they have very small features, with two nostrils, a tiny mouth, and small eyes that seem narrowed. Their expression is blank. End ID

They said 🗿 [moai emoji]

But also they're so cute

ID: A capybara with two baby capybaras. The baby capybaras look exactly like the adult capybara, except instead of being barrel-shaped, their body is almost perfectly round. End ID

I once saw a capy with three babies and one of them was just on the top of the adult capy's head. Both of them were just chilling, everyone completely immobile. Love those guys. I literally live in The Country Of Capys and I see them all the time and they never get any less amazing. 100000/10 another amazing South American creation

Even their names are cute! Capybara is cute, and presumably comes from Capivara which is the Brazilian word for them. And in Spanish they're called carpincho!! Adorable. Presumably all names in other languages come from these since capys are native only to South America. In short I love them

Bonus: they have a bird guy. Izzy, why don't we have a bird guy?

ID: A capybara, looking exceptionally bored, with a screaming bird resting on top of their head. End ID

Stan capys

3. Eels

Look. At. These. Guys

ID: Four close-ups of eels' faces. They are large snake-like sea creatures with round eyes on either side of their head and a large mouth that's usually open. When seen from the side, their open mouths and unfocused eyes make them look as if they are confused. When seen from the front, their extremely large and round eyes, thin face and open mouth make them look completely shocked. End ID

They look so stupid ❤️

They can also be extremely colorful and beautiful but mostly I just love how dumb they look. Also they are like snakes except from the sea which makes them a billion times cooler. Also I remember going to a talk on them once where they mentioned that eels are some of the most feared creatures for deep divers because they tend to attack their oxygen tubes thinking they are other eels, which can break the tube and lead to uh, unfortunate results. R.I.P those divers but that's so funny

I also have a sorta soft spot for them because when I was a kid I went to the TAMAR project which is a project in Brazil dedicated to sealife conservation, particularly turtles but not just. And they had a gift shop with an eel plushie and I fell in love with that lil guy. Unfortunately it was too expensive as gift shops usually are so I didn't get one but To This Day I think about it. I never found it again either. Eel plushie wherever you are I still love you

2. Planarians

Those bitches are literally called Flat Fucks in scientific lingo so you know they are an absolute hit. And look. At. Them!

ID: A planarian. They are a small tube-shaped but extremely flat creature with no limbs. Their head is slightly triangular with two small and extremely close to each other eyes on top of their head, facing up. They are sand-colored with a grainy brown pattern. End ID

This is what a friend looks like. No, scratch that, this is what happiness looks like. These dudes are happiness incarnate and I'd do anything for them, especially the Tricladidas

"Wah wah but some of them are parasites" good for them! Get that food dearies. I love you

And also they are so cool like they can regenerate no matter what you do to them and they can be found pretty much anywhere except on air! You've got terrestrial planarians, sea planarians, planarians inside the intestines of like every animal that possess one. They are such a successful group and they do nothing except be FLAT FUCKS with VERY TINY EYES ["flat fucks" with "very tiny eyes", in caps]. Fucking iconic

I unfortunately can never find out the name of this particular species that has the triangular head and stuff, there are other planarians that are different. However I will also give a shoutout to them (and other flatworms) because they are very beautiful and colorful and I stan them also.

ID: Three sea flatworms. The first one looks like a slug, with most of their body being neon green with a thin black stripe right on the middle. Around their body they have what looks like a full-body flap in black with neon orange edges. They also have two antennae-looking orange appendages on their head.

The second one also looks like a slug but they are flatter, with a black body with neon pink edges, and two triangle-shaped appendages on top of their head that are orange

The third one has the thinnest body of them all, paper-thin, and their whole body looks maleable and foldable. They are sand-colored with thin black oval patterns, one inside the other, and white edges. End ID

But they are still not as funny as the first guy. Sorry, love you, keep on rockin', but that one right there is my fave

(PS: Although they look like them, those are not sea slugs! Sea slugs are mollusks and these guys are flatworms, or Platyhelminthes. Isn't that cool? I love that. Completely different phyllums and they look almost the same)

1. Trilobites

Can I pick an extinct animal? You never specified so I will. Hehe look at them

ID: A trilobite fossil. They are oval-shaped animals with their body divided in several thin stripes that go up and down three times in a circular shape. End ID

I have always loved them and I will always love them and I have no reason for it. Just. Look at them! They bring me so much joy. They look like a stim toy or a foot self-massager or something. Unparalleled character design. And they could get so huge! Up to 72cm long which is longer than a capybara is tall. They are also flat fucks so maybe I have a thing for them. But that is the coolest exoeskeleton design ever and I'm so sad that they were extinct. They were doing so well! They dominated the seas for quite some time. IDK what happened to them but R.I.P trilobites, always in my heart

And that ends this post! Sorry it's so much longer than you probably expected. If anyone wants more rambling, feel free to ask me for my top 5 anything

[cursestothemoon]

Hi! I love your writing and wanted to request some headcannons of Fred falling for and eventually dating Rons female best friend, so like two-ish years younger than him?

let me tell you i love this idea.

ok

i think up until like

honestly

your sixth year

fred would think of you as this little dorky girl who was always spending way too much time with his little dorky brother

also for the sake of the story Volde-BITCH isn't around

anyway

so fred's been out of Hogwarts for a year now

ron and the gang 😤 just graduated

and everyone is spending the summer at the burrow

Harry has already arrived and him and Ron are hanging out in the living room waiting for you and hermione to show up

Fred and George have closed shop for the week because it's the first week of summer and since hogwarts is out, foot traffic slows a bit

so it's a big ole' weasley sibling party in the living room

and george can't help but make fun of how fast ron shoots up out of his seat when a knock is heard

"Oi, Granger's here lads..."

"He's in love Georgie"

Fred and George were having a field day to say the least

"How much you wanna bet mum'll find them snagging within the next twelve hours?"

"Fred?"

"Freddie?"

Fred has gone silent

George turns to look at his brother and see why he is suddenly unresponsive, he finds Fred with his eyebrows up and mouth slightly agape

he then follows his gaze to the front door where Ron is and Harry are standing, talking to Hermione and a very grown up you

of course you are standing there looking h o t 🙄

you're wearing the tiniest pair of short denim shorts with a black belt cinched at your waist and a thin, ribbed tank top that looks like you've cut jaggedly to cover your boobs and the top of your abdomen

your hair looks freshly done, soft, and fred is willing to bet it probably smells amazing

George can't help but chuckle at his twins lovestruck expression, all for a girl he once nicknamed grindylow

"We shouldn't' be rude, lets go say hi freddie."

the smirk playing on george's lips has fred sending him a glare before he stands up

only he failed to realize you were making your way over to him to say hi

fred stands up and immediately knocks into something, or someone, and stumbles back onto the couch seat he had been sitting on just seconds prior

only this time the person he bumped into comes down with him

you can imagine Fred's surprise when he realizes his hands are on your hips and you have fallen onto his lap

both of you are kinda flustered honestly but youre playing it a lot cooler

"Y/n! You've grown- I mean you got bigger- oLDER...how've you been?"

"I've been good, Freddie. How's the shop?"

"It's gre-"

"you little grindylow, i would like one of those greetings too."

george cuts off his brother and fred swears he could turn him into a slug right then and there but instead he scowls as George quite literally picks you up from his lap and twirls you around

his expression lightens upon hearing your giggles but only slightly

pretty soon you're stolen away by hermione, ron, harry, and ginny much to fred's chagrin

ok to say that fred is having an internal battle would be an understatement

you used to be this little kid who was dorky and a shy

and now you have b o o b s

and this c o n f i d e n c e

that is just pulling him to you

george calls it love

fred calls him a dummy

imagine him walking up one morning and just glancing out his window

nothing out of the ordinary

only instead of seeing a still lake and calm meadow like usual

he sees you in a teeny red bikini, your hair pulled up out of your face, and your neck and chest glistening with a mixture of water and sweat

he quite literally chokes on his spit

"shut. the. fuck. up."

george is not happy to be awoken by fred's coughing

"it's just a bathing suit you wanker"

it is with lightening speed fred gets dressed and ready to join you guys by the lake

both of you will be drooling of each other and the best part is neither of you would realize the other one was doing the same

literally everyone catches on

since then everyone tries to force you two to be near each other

the table needs setting?

looks like you and fred are the ones for the job

there is a seat open next to fred on the couch?

every other spot would be filled before you even entered the room so you'd have to sit next to fred

obviously you guys start talking more

turn out you have a lot in common

and one night while he's laying in his childhood bedroom, thinking, he's like 'oh shit. im in love"

fred's never been the quiet type

and he's a fairly confident guy

so he works out a plan to tell you his feelings

hopefully it ends up with you two dating

fred can only hope right

so he pulls you aside the day before he and george have to go back to their flat and reopen the shop

you don't know what to think of it because he looks beyond serious

which is always worrying

"you wanna sit outside to talk instead?"

you asked after he kept getting interrupted by the loud talking coming from the kitchen

and what he meant to say was "i'd love to"

instead what came out was

"i love you."

"you...what"

it's all a whole blushing mess between the two of you

and to make it even better Harry and George heard the whole thing

george can barely breathe with how hard he's laughing and harry has a pained look on his face

seeing all this fred decides his best option is to flee

so he gets up to walk away

move out of the country

whichever

but you stop him

"I love you too, Fred."

when i tell you everyone stops

george and harry are silent

fred is not moving

and you are so nervous you can barely look up to even see if he's looking at you

but don't worry

fred strides over to you, titles your head up with his hand, and then pULLS YOU IN FOR A KISS

george and harry are dumbfounded

they are standing there just 😮

so you guys are dating now :)

aW how cute

ron is NOT a fan

but only at first

he does not like the idea of his best friend dating his older brother

but he gets over it fast

mostly because of hermione

she ships it aggressively

so does ginny

oK

SO

WAIT LET'S GET INTO THE RELATIONSHIP A LITTLE

FRED IS CONSTANTLY TEASING YOU ABOUT HOW YOU ARE YOUNGER THAN HIM

HE CALLS YOU BABY BECAUSE OF IT

or he'll make jokes about he's so much more mature and how he's such an adult

"you own a joke shop"

"are you even old enough to own a business yet?"

hes so annoying 🙄

but you guys love each other so much 🥺

and im fresh out of ideas and it's late so

enjoy this

:)

tags:

@siriusement

@amourtentiaa

@vsawyer1989​

@lifeofkaze

@theorangedrummer

@erinruby003

@famdomhideout

@an2402lths

@escapingrealitybyreading

@readyg0erge

@maybesandohnos

@therealhouseelvesofhogwarts

@onlyfreds-ficrecs

@fullofsourgrapes

[watermelonlipstick]

Dreams, Chapter 16

If you haven’t read this series before, you might want to start on Chapter 1, or check out the Dreams Masterlist! Here’s the series description:

When Dean dies for good leaving Sam and his girlfriend (the reader) behind, they must figure out how to carry on without him. Alone, reeling, and unsure what to do next, trying to honor Dean’s memory and follow their hearts gets even more complicated when their nightmares become dreams that feel a little too real.

Title: Dreams, Chapter 16

Pairing: (past) Dean Winchester x Reader, (eventual) Sam Winchester x Reader

Word Count: 1754

Summary: Some of Sam’s efforts to ‘nest’ in their new life together reveal new possibilities.

Warnings: angst, FLUFF, swearing, s l o w  b u r n

           Water laps at the weather-beaten wood of the dock underneath you slowly and the rhythm feels like hypnosis with the sun beating down a blanket. You sense Dean at your side without opening your eyes.

           “So…was he any good?”

           You can’t help but laugh, hearing the echo go out over the small lake, and get up to your elbows. It’s bright enough that you have to squint over at Dean where he lays next to a couple fishing poles and a cooler, t shirt hitched up to show a sliver of his stomach with his arms behind his head. His smile is devilish, made even more smug with eyes closed against the sun so his lashes cast an inch-long shadow on the dusting of freckles across his cheeks. “You can’t ask that!” you giggle.

           His lips flatten into a knowing line. “So that’s a no?”

           “Jesus Christ, of course it’s not a n—you know what, I’m not talking to you about this,” you smile, laying back down.

           “Ooh, so it’s a yes,” he teases as he turns on his side to face you. “Go Sammy. That mean you two are, like, going steady now?”

           You let your head loll over to him and roll your eyes. “Are you done?”

           “Not yet. Is he going to let you wear his letterman jacket? Take you to junior prom?”

           “I’m giving you ten more seconds.”

           Dean laughs, free and easy. “Fine, okay, I’m done. Wait—did he wrap it?”

           “DEAN!” you yell, covering your face in embarrassment.

           “Okay, alright, okay.” He’s still chuckling when you open your eyes to look over at him and reaches over to slip a piece of hair behind your ear. “You, ah, you seem happy.”

           You search his eyes for any hidden anger and find only the softness of calm affection with a pinch of solemnity. Where his hand lingers in your hair you turn into it, pressing your lips to Dean’s palm. “I am.”

           Dean smiles, straight teeth a perfect row of pearls so white you think for a second they might ‘ding’ with sparkle like a cartoon, and he looks relaxed enough as he puts his hands back behind his head that it calls up images of a kitten falling asleep in a sunny spot like this even as he keeps his eyes on you. “Took you guys long enough.”

           “And you’re still okay with this?”

           “Yeah, hell yeah. That’s the best I could ever ask for, you two happy. So, what do you say? Want to see if we can catch some fish?”

           Spring was a blessing; clean greenness breaking through the grey and white purifying the air and breathing new life into you, Sam, and the community you’d come to be a part of. The cabin was that much nicer with the new hours of sunlight pouring through the windows and all the upgrades you had put into it, to the point that you began to feel truly comfortable there. You even invited the Kaisers over for dinner a few times, feeling more like equal partners in your burgeoning friendship with them.

           You started to feel stable enough to get things; picked up a bookshelf at the combination flea/farmer’s market that happened in the K-12 school’s field every Saturday morning and got higher quality spatulas to cook with, the kinds of nonessential stuff you never would’ve bought before knowing you were going to stay in one place long enough to get good use out of them. Sam, in turn, kept building: changing the locks to sturdier ones and erecting a shed big enough to hold a lawn mower.

           You’d been cooking on an early Sunday afternoon when Sam came home and crossed the cabin in a few strides, giving you a kiss on the cheek before setting a thick paper bag down on the kitchen counter. “Smells great, what’re you making?”

           “Ratatouille!” you buzzed, placing a slice of eggplant carefully into its slot. “I’ve never had it, but I’ve always thought it looks so pretty. Hopefully it’s good. Where were you?”

           “Hardware store. I thought maybe I could build a greenhouse; see if we could grow anything. Might be enough to work against the cold.”

           You raised your eyebrows in appreciative surprise. “Look at you! What’re you thinking? Poppies? Platinum OG? Purple Haze?”

           Setting a box of screws down, Sam rolled his eyes through a smile. “My plan was more along the lines of tomatoes or something, but I’ll, uh, take those suggestions under advisement.” You had a sudden urge to twist a gentle finger into the dimple that stayed on his cheek as he unloaded the rest of his supplies but didn’t want to embarrass him, instead sweeping some garlic skins into your hand to throw into the small bucket Sam kept under the sink to collect scraps for the compost pile. When the bag was empty he refolded it and took off his jacket, passing by you to put it on its hook by the door. “Want any help?” he asked, sounding about as breezy as you’d ever heard him.

           “It just has to bake for about an hour. Does a late lunch work with your construction schedule?”

           Sam leaned over to slip a hand around your waist and kissed the top of your head before grabbing an armful of stuff to take outside. “Definitely. Just yell when you’re ready for me.”

           You giggled and waggled your eyebrows suggestively. “I’m always ready for you.”

           He tried his best not to blush but bit his lip in spite of himself, looking up at you with a bashful twinkle in his eye. “I walked into that one, didn’t I?”

           In response you held up a spare slice of zucchini that Sam readily accepted, opening his mouth like an obedient puppy and chewing as he went out the back door.

           You loved watching Sam work on his greenhouse in the weeks that followed, getting so excited about the tiny shoots sprouting up from the soil that he sometimes woke up early to check on them before starting his day. After a few weeks he woke you up one morning with a cup of coffee, bare-chested under slightly sleep-tangled hair and the hems of his flannel pants sloppily half inside his boots. “I wanna show you something,” he said, throat still gravelly. You accepted the mug and got out of bed, following him drowsily and jamming your feet inside your shoes at the door, too tired to worry about the laces.

           He led you into the greenhouse with its clear plastic walls and pointed down at a petite bud on top of a green stalk. It had the telltale waviness of a basil leaf, and when you bent down to look closer at it the plant already smelled herbaceous. “It’s so cute!” you hummed. Sam practically glowed with satisfaction, an unbridled smile the perfect accessory to the broad span of his chest where it was backlit by the fuzzy light through the greenhouse walls. You straightened and rubbed his back in congratulations, staring down at the plant together with your coffees like parents on Christmas morning. Tucked in the corner of the greenhouse behind the basil, a scattering of bitty white flowers caught your eye against the burnt umber soil.

           “Wait, you already have stuff flowering in here? What’s that?” you asked, tiptoeing around the wooden stakes in the soil to get closer.

           “Oh—I, uh—” he stammered behind you.

           At arm’s length the flowers looked vaguely familiar and you stopped short. “Is that—?” You turned back to Sam, who seemed not to be able to come up with anything to say, his face the kind of blank surprise that indicated he didn’t know whether you were about to be upset. “Really? Where’d you even…how did you get some?”

           He tucked his hair behind his ears to stall for even a half second. “I—well, I found a guy who got me—got us—some.”

           “You still have an African dream root hookup?”

           Sam’s lips pressed into a well-practiced silent ‘I guess?’ and he reached back to ruffle the hair at the nape of his neck, the movement stretching his side distractingly enough that if you hadn’t been so startled by the discovery of a plot of dream root literally in your own backyard you might’ve forgotten what you were talking about altogether.

           You raised your eyebrows expectantly, waiting for him to explain.

           “I made some calls, found someone in Milwaukee who got his hands on some and he mailed it here. I didn’t want to, uh, tell you in case I couldn’t get it to grow.”

           All kinds of possibilities and frustrations raced through your head. “So you’ve had this for weeks? That’s why you built the greenhouse?” Sam didn’t answer fast enough. “Never mind, I don’t care,” you found yourself saying, and surprisingly, actually meaning. You took a deep breath to stop the words from jumbling together. “Do you think it’ll work?” you breathed, knowing he would understand the real question: would we be able to see Dean together?

           “Only one way to find out.”

           For whatever reason you’d gotten freshly showered, made up, and dressed before brewing the tea with Sam on your next day off of work. It felt like there should be some level of pomp and circumstance about it, this giant undertaking that might be able to change your whole life again, even knowing that your prep wouldn’t translate into a dream. You were giddy with anxiety and almost wished you could reasonably put it off, the idea of this new possibility being yet another dead end making you nauseous.

           “Your place or mine?” you asked, trying to put a little sheen of humor on your nerves.

           Sam chuckled but you could tell he was nervous too, rubbing his palms dry on the knees of his jeans over and over again. “You haven’t done it before, right?”

           You shook your head. “Is there a learning curve or something?”

           “Honestly it’s been long enough that I don’t really remember. Hold on—hold still.” He reached out and very gingerly swept a finger across your cheekbone, drawing back to show you an eyelash stuck to the whorl of its pad.

           You straightened where you sat on the edge of the bed. “That’s as good a sign as any. Cheers, I guess.” Sam dropped the tiny hair into his mug and touched the ceramic to yours, his eyes hopeful and reassuring as you took tandem sips.

           And then you were off.

-

Continue to Dreams, Chapter 17

Thanks again for reading! If you liked it, check out my Masterlist or send me a request!

Tags: @sams-sass​ @vxnderlindes​ @deanwinchesterswitch​ @akshi8278​ @itsjensenanddean​ @flannellover67​ @weepingwillowphoenix​ @tj-drinks-tea​ @whatareyousearchingfordean​ @winchest09​ @winchestergirl2​ @samwisethegr8​ @nobxdy​ @nurse-sarahrn​ @lovers-in-japan-reign-of-love​ @deanwanddamons​ @stressedoutkitten​ @winchestershiresauce​ @tatted-trina6​ @percico-heronstairs​ @downanddirtydean​ @queenoftheunderdark​ @lyarr24​ @waywardwifey​ @wonder-cole​ @sergeantsea​ @peachyafshawn​ @tjfinnigan​ @calaofnoldor​ @that-one-gay-girl​ @daringvixon​ @fairlyspnfanfic​ @treat-winchesterswith-kindness​ @samfreakingwinchester​ @lovelyrocker​ @mrspeacem1nusone​ @theveridianmoon​ @underc0vercryptid​ @kpwatsonn​

 And as always, if you want to be on my taglist, were on the taglist and changed your handle, or I lost track of it, please let me know!

[golbrocklovely]

mind in the gutter // colby brock

A/N: hey... so i haven’t done a blurb/one shot in such a long time. this wasn’t requested by anyone, this is just something i thought of. i know a lot of you are probably waiting for the next chapter of the chosen daughter, only the lonely survive, or the sequel for gyhab but i’m kind holding off on that rn bc i’m not in the mood to write something for them. i kinda just want to write some stuff i’ve had in mind for a while now. that being said... this is probably one of the dirtiest things i’ve ever written... so enjoy ;)

title from song ‘mind in the gutter’ by chris crocker

trigger warning: SMUT, cursing, mentions of being 'slutty’, graphic language

word count: 1145

~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were a lot of perks to dating Colby. He was the sweetest and kindest person I had ever met, and the best boyfriend I ever had. He cared about me a lot, always made sure I was comfortable, and made me feel so loved. I couldn't ask for more.

And as much as I loved his personality, I also loved his looks.

Calling him hot was an understatement most days. He just had a way of making me horny within seconds, and he didn't even have to do much for me to instantly want him.

Today was one of those days.

We were all hanging out at the new Trap House. I was relaxing under the shade of the tiki bar, watching him and Sam jump into the pool, trying to do flips.

The way his bathing suit clung to his thighs... his hair wet and pushed back... his gorgeous smile as he laughed.

Fuck. Me.

I felt myself blush at my thoughts. I don't think this was the time or place to be getting turned on by him. Literally all of his roommates were here. Tara and Kat were too, tanning under the sun in some lounge chairs.

But I couldn't help it.

All I could think about was him coming over here and fucking me against the bar. I could almost feel him slamming into me repeatedly, spanking my ass and pulling my hair as I screamed out his name.

"Woah... okay, even that was a little much." I murmured to myself, stepping back from the bar. I turned around and pulled an ice-cold water bottle out of the cooler, ripping open the top and chugging it.

As I spun back around, I gazed over at Colby. His eyes caught mine, a light smile came to his lips. He slowly climbed out of the pool, grabbing a towel and drying his hair and chest off. I watched as he strutted over to me, causing me to bite my lip.

Damn, he is fucking fine.

"Hey babe. Whatchu staring at?" Colby chuckled, stepping into the tiki bar. He rubbed the towel into the side of his hair.

I shrugged, checking him out. "Just admiring the view."

Colby sassed, lowering the towel. "Oh? You like what you see?"

"Definitely." I whispered, pulling the towel. His feet followed. Once he was close, I leaned up and kissed him deeply. My hands snaked up his torso, landing on his neck and pulling him in closer. He hummed against my mouth.

He backed up, ending the kiss too soon. "What was that for?"

"I don't know. I'm just in one of those moods." I replied, my hands drifting to my sides.

"What kind of mood?" Colby asked.

"The kind where all I want you to do is fuck me." I stated bluntly.

He choked. "Uhh... what?"

"You heard me." I teased.

"You... you can't say shit like that, baby." He sighed.

"Why?" I taunted.

"Because how am I supposed to hear that and not get turned on?" His pupils dilated as he closed the gap between us.

I gazed up and down his torso, memorizing the curves of his hips and abs. The way his v-lines dipped low made my mouth water. I could feel my breathing quicken as I stared at his chest and neck, still wet from the pool. All I could think about was sucking on his neck and nipping at his collarbone.

"I want you to take me. Right now." I responded breathlessly.

Colby's eyebrows raised, his hands landing on my waist. "Where? Here?"

"Sure. Where ever you want me. Fuck me in front of everybody. Let them know how good you give it to me." I uttered, gripping his forearms.

He groaned, dropping his head. "Babe."

"I really need you, Colby. Please. I'm fucking dripping for you." I pled.

His eyes darkened at my words, his voice low and deep. "Are you?"

I nodded. "Please, just touch me. I need some relief."

"What about-" He started.

"No one can see us in here. Please fuck me with your fingers. I need them. I need you." I huffed desperately, my hands cupping his face and bringing it close to mine.

"Fuck." Colby looked around, realizing none of his friends were even paying attention to us. He slid his fingers into my bathing suit, finding my clit instantly.

I whimpered as his thumb massaged my clit, his middle and ring slowly slipping into me.

"Fuck, you're soaked." He gasped.

I swallowed, holding back a moan. "I told you. I've been thinking about you all day."

"You have?" His eyes landed on mine.

"Yeah. God, Colby. Everything you do is so fucking sexy." I confessed.

Colby sped up his fingers' pace, his eyes glancing away for a moment to look at everyone behind us. "So you've been here getting turned on by me without me even doing anything to you?"

"Yessss. Shit, baby, you’re so good with your hands." I trembled, my nails digging into his neck.

"Do you want me to fuck you?" He hissed.

I panted. "Yes."

"Right here? Is that how desperate you are for me?" Colby growled.

I moaned. "Mm-Hmm."

"You'd let me fuck you while everyone can see us?" He smirked.

"Y-yeah." I stuttered, holding back sounds that wanted to escape my lips.

"Do you know how slutty and hot you sound? …All because you want my cock." Biting his lip and speeding up his fingers, he slipped them into my dripping pussy faster and faster.

"Baby, please take me. I know you want me." I glided my hand down to his growing bulge, rubbing him through his bathing suit.

He snatched my hand away, holding it down against the bar behind me. "I'm gonna make you cum first. Then I'm gonna take you inside and fuck you until you can't walk."

"God, that's all I want." I begged.

He questioned. "How close are you?"

"I'm right fucking there." I admitted passionately.

"I can't wait to pound this tight cunt of yours. I gonna make you cum so hard." Colby grunted, his fingers thrusting into me harder and harder.

"Fuck, oh my God." I cried out, trying not to be loud as I edged.

"Make any noise and everyone will know you're cumming around my fingers. Is that what you want, baby?" He dared cockily, curling his fingers and hitting my sweet spot.

I whined, bucking my hips against his hand. "God, I'm gonna-"

"Cum for me babygirl."

Colby pushed himself up against me, his fingers going even deeper as I came. My body quaked and shivered against him, biting my lip hard to hold back from screaming. I gripped his shoulders tight, almost unable to hold myself up.

As my orgasm started to subside, Colby pressed his lips to my ear.

"Go upstairs and get ready for me."

| part two >>

[smilebouquet]

somewhere to go, someone to love

my secret santa gift (@ducktalessecretsanta2020) for @kvanderquack!! i’m sorry for tagging again after i already sent my gift via dm-

also on ao3!!

––––––––––

For as long as Lena lived (all fifteen years), she’d always been alone. She was born alone on the heights of Mount Vesuvius, from the remnants of her Aunt Magica’s shadow. She travelled to Duckburg alone, with no one to keep her company other than the voices in her head and the harsh whispering of her shadow. She bore the brunt of Magica’s lashings and whining alone, hurt and angry and bitter.

A happy family felt like such a foreign concept to her. Magica was always her one and only kin, the only person who had a connection to her. And she hated every second of it. If having just one aunt was so exhausting, imagine having two aunts. Imagine three. Criticizing your every move. Yelling at you for screwing up. Demanding nothing but obedience and respect and returning none of it. 

Lena didn’t think she would be able to take it. Family just didn’t sound like something she’d like.

That’s what she thought, anyway, until the Sabrewings took her in.

––––––––––

1.

Lena can’t sleep.

Or to be exact, she can’t sleep peacefully. Ever since she came back to the land of the living, she’s been having dreams. Dreams where she found herself running from her. Into the woods, where the screeching of bats rang in the air, and the ground was muddy and made each consecutive step heavy. Or within a mansion suspiciously similar to Scrooge’s, her voice bouncing off the walls and getting closer and closer until they were literally screaming into her ears. She could do nothing but run.

She never dared to look back, but Lena always managed to glimpse her in the corner of her eye. The swish of a velvety black cape. A gloved hand, reaching out to snatch her. A flash of purple magic. 

Lena always manages to wake up before Magica could grab her and do god-knows-what. She would always be grateful for the fact that she awoke easily. But every dream ended in To Be Continued — never The End — and Lena didn’t want to know what The End would look like, because she has the sinking feeling that it won’t be a Happily Ever After.

Tonight is no different. She’s staring up at the ceiling of Violet’s room, letting the muffled snores of her roommate fill the still air. It’s getting increasingly hard to stay awake, and she isn’t sure how much longer she can take it.

Sighing, she rolls out of bed and leaves the room, making sure the door creaked as quietly as possible and that it clicked shut. She heads down the stairs and into the living room. A bookshelf stands in the corner, filled with all sorts of books from encyclopedias to photography books.

Lena instinctively grabs a cookbook (and accidentally knocks off a few more, but she’ll deal with them later) from the second topmost shelf. Yellow sticky notes jut out of the pages, all written on with dark purple ink. Walking into the kitchen adjacent, she flicks on the light, then flips the book open. Vanilla Cake, reads the title in big bold letters, followed by the exact quantity of ingredients needed and the instructions on how to bake one.

This should keep her up until tomorrow.

"...Lena? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

She freezes. Ty is standing at the door, a wooden baseball bat loosely held in his grip. He chucks it aside and steps into the kitchen.

"Hey." She waves half-heartedly with a sheepish smile. "I, uh, couldn't sleep."

"And you're in the kitchen with a cookbook, why?"

Because Aunt Magica haunts my dreams every night and I don’t wanna deal with it anymore?

“...I wanted to do something nice for my friends for once, so I thought baking a cake for our sleepover would be neat?”

Ty’s gaze flickers between Lena and the clock currently showing 12:59. He pinches the area between his eyes. “Lena, it’s late. I think you should go to bed—”

“No!” He flinches. Lena’s eyes widen. “I mean— no, I can’t go to bed until I finish this cake!” she backtracks, her voice cracking. Her heart is pounding. She can't go to sleep, she can't...! “If you help me, I’ll go to bed sooner! Maybe!”

Ty scratches the back of his head. “Well, Indy’s the dad who bakes, not me... but I suppose I can try.”

Relief washes over her. She flashes him a tired smile, handing him a bowl and some measuring cups. “Thanks.”

––––––––––

2.

“We’re back!” 

Indy looks up from the couch. “Welcome back. How was your sleepover?”

“Pleasant,” Violet replies, already halfway up the stairs. “Ate some cake. Played a video game. Saved Lena from getting dragged into a mirror and possibly losing her within a lucid dream to the witch responsible for the shadow war several months ago. The usual.”

“Sounds nice,” Indy remarks. Then did a double take. “Wait, what?”

Ty laughs, following after Violet. “It’s a long story. Took the whole car ride for them to finish telling it.” Indy glares after him, but shrugs and returns to his book.

Lena drops her own bag on the floor and flops onto the couch with a heavy sigh. She could shower or whatever later. Right now she just wanted to rest.

“Long day?” Indy asks, barely moving from his position on the right side of the couch.

“Kinda. I’ve been through worse, though.”

There's a beat of silence.

The unspoken Like what? hangs over her head uncomfortably. Is this the part where she spills her entire life story? Should she play it off as a joke? Would it be wise to pretend she hadn’t said anything? She can feel Indy’s stare on her shoulder, burning like a pair of red-hot lasers—

He either noticed her discomfort, or is really good at reading minds, because he hums quietly and says, “You don’t have to elaborate.”

“...Ah. Right. Okay.” She sits upright, then lets out a short laugh. Her eyes wander over to Indy, who’s still reading his book with a content look on his face. “What is that?”

Indy shows her the book. There’s a bunch of pictures of Violet, Ty and Indy together. “It’s one of the family photo albums,” he explains. “Photography is one of my hobbies.”

Lena grunts in response, then peers at the photos more closely. “Is that Violet in the library?”

“Oh, that’s from the first time we visited the public library together. We had just moved into Duckburg, and wanted to do a little sightseeing. Violet insisted that we check out the library. That girl always did love reading. She gets it from Ty…”

They spend the rest of the hour looking through the photo album together. There’s a surprising amount of photos in this one tiny album, each preserving a special memory that Indy knows by heart and tells Lena about with nothing but fondness. She now knows that Violet used to take ballet classes (and hated it), has won at least two national spelling bees by the age of six, and is part of the Junior Woodchucks.

Photos from before Violet was born are also in it, located near the end of the album. Indy tells Lena that he first met Ty at a college entrance exam. They had entered the building at the same time, and Ty thought it would be neat to strike a conversation with him. They hit it off pretty much immediately, but forgot to ask for each other’s phone numbers before they went their separate ways.

“But you’re married now?!” Lena blurts out, jumping from the cough to point a shaky finger at him. “How?!”

He chuckles. “We met again at a supermarket several months later, I believe, reaching for the same can of beans. Ty’s first words to me ever since were ‘Holy shit, you like beans, too?!’ This time we remembered to exchange contact information, and here we are ten years later.”

“I— Wow.” Lena sits back down. “Some luck you have.”

“I wouldn’t call it luck,” he admits. His fingers gently caressing the old photo of them. “I like to think of it as fate. If we’re meant to be together, life will find a way to get us together.”

(Lena thinks about Webby.

She thinks about their “chance” meeting at the amphitheater.

She thinks about how she almost lost Webby by sacrificing herself to protect her.

She thinks about how lucky she had been that Violet was there in the library that day, reading a nerdy old book.

She inwardly decides that Indy is probably right.)

Once they reach the end of the album, Indy moves to close it. The corners of several photographs stick out from the side. Lena blinks.

“And those are?”

He looks down. “Oh.” Tucking them back in, he replies, “Those are some of the newer photographs. Haven’t gotten a new album for them yet, so I keep them here for the time being.” His fingers drum on the hard cover. “Come to think of it, I don't have any pictures with you yet. We’ll need to remedy that.”

“Hm, why?”

“You’re family, after all. I think you deserve a spot in the photo album.”

Family. She’s family. The thought of it makes her heart flutter.

It takes her a minute to realize Indy stopped talking, and is looking at her with the slightest hint of hesitation in his expression.

She beams at him. “That would be nice. You should get a new album first, though.” As if on cue, a photograph falls out. She picks up. “Hey, what about this one?” Indy lights up, and starts going into a tangent about the one time they lost Violet at Duckburg’s largest department store. As he does, she zones out for a bit, testing the name.

‘Lena Sabrewing’, huh…  She can feel her smile widening.  Sounds way cooler than Lena de Spell.

––––––––––

3.

This is terrible, Lena concludes.

They’re on the way to the Junior Woodchuck Campgrounds for Violet’s upcoming graduation. She’s a little hazy on the details, but she does know that each year only one senior junior woodchuck can become a senior woodchuck (“That’s dumb! Why can’t you all just become senior woodchucks?!” “Don’t question it, Lena.”), they decide who graduates with some sort of obstacle course, and Violet’s opponent this year is likely going to be Huey.

Lena also knows that the campgrounds are located waaaay out on some island in the middle of nowhere, and if she sees another “NOW LEAVING DUCKBURG” sign she’s going to lose it. She lets out a groan as she slides farther down her seat, watching the pine trees blur into a strip of green on the landscape. “Hey, Vi, how much longer ‘til we’re there?”

No answer.

“Vi?”

Again, no answer. Lena knows that Violet has a tendency to be quiet during car rides, preferring to admire the scenery as they drive, but Violet should’ve at least spared her a grunt at this point.

She decides to turn and look at her. Violet is staring at her lap, perfectly still. Her fists are clenched so tightly she can see the white knuckles beneath her purple feathers, and they’re trembling.

“Vi, what’s wrong...?” Lena begins to ask, and then immediately Indy’s voice from before echoes in her head.

“Third time’s the charm, right Vi?”

The gears click into place. Oh.

She inches closer to Violet’s side — as much as she can with her seatbelt on, anyway — and reaches out to place a comforting hand over Violet’s. The hummingbird looks up.

“Hey,” Lena says, “you’ll be okay. You’re the best nerd I’ve ever know. What’s Huey got, his stupid guidebook? You’ve got this.”

“Actually, the Junior Woodchuck Wilderness Challenge prohibits use of the guidebook,” Violet corrects, then sighs. “Sorry. I know you’re trying to comfort me, but I…” She trails off. “I know failing is natural, but it still terrifies me every single time.”

Silence.

Indy, from the passenger seat, pipes up, “Violet, you know that just being willing to go back and try again is… really brave, right? Yeah, failure is inevitable, and very terrifying, but not a lot of people are able to bounce back from it like you do.”

“What Indy said.” Ty peers at them from the rearview mirror and gives them a thumbs up. “We love you no matter what, and I bet you’re gonna crush the competition this year.”

“Yeah! What they said! You’re Violet Sabrewing. You brought me back from the Shadow Realm. If you can do that, you can do anything!”

Violet stares at her for a moment, then Indy, then Ty. Her eyes are glassy. She opens her fist to hold Lena’s hand and squeezes it weakly.

“Thanks,” she whispers, with a smile that doesn’t exactly reach her eyes.

...At least she’s smiling a little. Lena frowns, but gets an idea. She leans forward to ask Ty, “By the way, how long until we get there?”

“Five hours, I think,” Indy answers.

“FIVE HOURS?!” She can feel a vein pop in her head. Five hours. Five. Hours. It feels like she’s been in this stinkin’ car for decades already. Well, no matter.

She turns to Violet. “Alright, since we’re basically stuck here, why don’t I teach you how to smacktalk?”

Violet raises an eyebrow, clearly unamused. “Is that really necessary? Also, I doubt Hubert would appreciate—”

“Of course it is! And of course he won’t. You can’t have a healthy rivalry without a little back and forth! Where’s the fun in that?! Now, the key to good smacktalk is...”

She spends the rest of the ride lecturing Violet on the essentials of smacktalk (read: making most of it up as she went). As they drove, Violet’s shoulders began to relax and she allowed herself to laugh more, and Lena felt more at ease than she had in a while.

––––––––––

4.

Lena wakes up with a gasp. Frantically, she feels around. Her arms are intact. Her legs are still here. Nothing hurts. Phantom Blot isn’t here. Okay. It was just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream.

“Lena?”

“Vi?” Lena calls, but it sounds more like a choked sob. She’s suddenly acutely aware of the tears messing up her feathers and her pounding heart.

Violet sits up. “Another nightmare?” she asks, her voice quiet. Lena nods. She gets up from bed and leaves the room. Lena sits in the darkness, her hands gripping her knees tightly. Breathe in, breathe out.

Violet returns with a tall glass of water and hands it to her. Lena takes it and brings the glass to her beak. The water is cool and soothing.

“They’ve become increasingly frequent. Shouldn’t we talk to our fathers about this?”

“No,” Lena says immediately, finishing her glass and setting it on the night table with shaky hands. “I don’t want them to get worried.” 

Violet gives her a glare that pierces even in the dark, then sighs.

“Very well.”

✿ — ✿ — ✿

On Christmas Day, Lena wakes up to Violet dumping a bucket of cold water over her.

“Merry Christmas.”

“Ack—! Violet, what the hell?!”

“Apologies,” Violet says, her tone betraying her words. She’s already dressed in a plain cream turtleneck. “You wouldn’t wake up no matter what I did.” She tugs at her sleeve. “Now, come. Fathers are already in the living room. You were literally the last to awaken.” Without waiting for a response, she drags her out of the room and down the stairs.

The living room feels… warmer than usual. There are string lights, giving out a gentle multicoloured glow, both around the Christmas Tree and hung up along the walls. Someone took the time to hang a wreath on every door in the house, each covered in mini ornaments and topped with a red bow. The bright orange fire in the fireplace is crackling.

Ty and Indy are already waiting, wearing matching Christmas sweaters. “Merry Christmas!” they greet, pulling the two girls into a hug. 

“Merry Christmas,” Lena says back before pulling away. The cheeriness of the season was beginning to catch up to her. “So! What do we do first?”

“Well, the presents are under the tree but maybe eat breakfast first—”

Lena was gone the moment Ty said ‘presents’. She rushes to the tree and begins checking the tags for her name. Not that there are that many presents to check. Violet follows soon after with a much calmer demeanor.

She ends up with a limited edition of The FeatherWeights’ newest album from Ty and Indy (“How did you know they’re my favourite band?!” “Your shirt is all we needed to clue us in.”) and an exact replica of the Caw-nverse shoes she loves wearing. Violet receives two books — an encyclopedia the thickness of one and a half dictionaries about magic and a thinner book called Tales of the Peculiar.

She’s ready to head off to the dining table to eat when Violet stops her. 

“Wait.” She pulls out a neatly wrapped present from her pocket and holds it out to Lena. “Here.”

“Wh— But I didn’t get you anything!”

“It’s okay.” Violet shoves the present into her hands. “Just take it.” Lena peers at her suspiciously before tearing the wrapping paper clean off and opening the box.

A dreamcatcher. The hoop used is a nice beige, and a flower-like design had been woven within it with colourful threads. White feathers suspended from twine, with beads adorning the strands at intervals, are attached to the hoop. Lena dangles the dreamcatcher above the box and looks at Violet questioningly.

“It may not be as beneficial as actual therapy since I couldn’t infuse it with any magic, but it should help keep the bad dreams at bay,” Violet explains. “Probably. I made it myself so it might not work.”

Lena stares at the dreamcatcher again. Upon closer inspection, the feathers and beads appear to be glued to the twine, and the twine was wound imperfectly around the base of the hoop. The flower design is also uneven, having slightly larger ‘petals’ on one side. She feels herself tear up. “Violet. This is the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for me.”

“I can’t believe saving you from roaming in the shadow realm for all of eternity isn’t the sweetest thing I've ever done for you,” Violet replies, completely deadpan. But the corners of her beak are twitching upwards.

“You wanted to summon evil spirits! I was a byproduct. It doesn’t count,” Lena jokes, putting the dreamcatcher away. She envelopes her in a crushing hug. “Thank you.” Her voice is wobbling. “This is just— It must’ve taken ages. Now I feel even worse for not getting you anything.”

Violet hugs her back just as tightly. “You’re welcome. Just make sure you get me my own personal library next year.”

As if your room isn’t filled with enough books as is, Lena thinks, but she can’t help but laugh.

Ty clears his throat. “This is great, but it’s already nine and you girls haven’t even had breakfast yet, so chop chop! We’ve got a whole day ahead of us.”

(They end up at the ice rink, where Lena learns that she’s actually terrible at ice skating. Violet offers to teach her like the Samaritan she is, but doesn’t hesitate to throw jabs at her incompetence. Fortunately, she’s not the only one who’s suffering, if Indy’s screaming and Ty’s guffawing are any indications.)

––––––––––

In the first fifteen years of her life, Lena had been alone with no one to turn to. Being part of a happy family felt like something out of a movie or fairy tale. Happiness seemed like an unreachable dream.

But within two years, she found a best friend in Webby, a sister in Violet, and two dads in Ty and Indy. She found a family to call her own, one that loved her and made her feel good about herself. She was finally content.

The dreamcatcher and family photo hanging above her bed would need to be pried from her cold, dead hands.

[captainillogical]

Home Ch.4

The domesticity of living with an alien who hasn’t quite had the chance at a normal life.

Distant Lands sequel.

Spinel/Reader

collab with my lovely wife @firstofficertightpants​

Today is another hot, bright day outside, and you have not had enough coffee to deal with it. Or any at all, actually.

Currently it's about an hour before your first lesson, and you're at Kiki's place - sitting on the toilet inside her bathroom in particular - trying to not panic.

"-and then! I told her if she wants to keep borrowing my jacket, the least she can do is NOT get mustard all over it! Can you believe her?!" Kiki huffs out next to your ear, dabbing more pigmented cover-up against your collarbone.

"Why the hell do you buy clothes that you know she'll keep stealing? You know she's not going to stop since you basically wear the same size." You reply, leaning into her brush. It tickles your skin, and you feel yourself almost sneezing.

"Because they're cuuuuuute, okay?" She whines, twisting her face in concentration as she smears makeup on a particular spot on your neck. "Wow she really did a number on you here.. are these teeth marks?"

"Pretend you didn't see them, just cover them up as best as you can," You plead, giving her The Face you know she can't resist. She rolls her eyes. "I just wanna look professional, you know?"

"They're gems, Y/N." She makes a point to jab you particularly hard on the side of your neck with her brush. "You seriously think they're going to care? Or notice?"

"Well, apparently a few humans signed up too, and I really would prefer to not get any more looks, er - more than the usual, anyway." You feel your phone vibrate in hand, and look down to see Steven giving you several thumbs up to your earlier text. 

"Why are humans signing up?" She asks, pausing momentarily.

"Not sure? But I'm blaming Steven on that." You reply, remembering to shoot Garnet a message as well about having her attend just in case you make a fool out of yourself in front of a crowd.

"Maybe they saw you with Spinel, and thought, hey, maybe the rest of us could-" 

A door slams against a wall, and you hear a resounding 'HEYYYYYYYY' from the hallway in a very familiar voice. Several pairs of footsteps are walking towards the bathroom the two of you are in.

Oh god, you need to go. You attempt to stand up from sitting on the toilet, and Kiki forces a hand on your shoulder with an "I'm not done!"

"Kiki!" Jenny pops her face into the bathroom doorway with an infectious smile. "What are you dooooooooo- whoa, Y/N?!" 

If you could clap your hands and disappear, you would.

"Heyyyyy Jenny," You greet her as flatly as you can, and then Lars also pops his head into the doorway. Oh. Great. "Lars. What are you guys doing here?"

Lars gasps dramatically, pointing to your neck. "YOOOOOOOUUUUUU-"

Kiki silences him with her palm over his mouth. "Dude I already told you, why are you being so dramatic right now,"

"You TOLD him?!" You screech, feeling completely betrayed.

"Well, YEAH, clearly you were going to just internalize it and dance around the subject!" She places her hands on her hips, makeup brush still in her fist. "I'm just expediting the process!"

"Tell him what!?" Jenny pipes in, completely engrossed.

"That Y/N's dating Spinel!" Kiki huffs out, like this is obvious information, and Jenny gasps.

“I wasn’t going to dance around the subject!! I just haven’t had the chance to shoot him a text yet..” You mumble, trailing off sheepishly. Okay, so, you know you should’ve told Lars already! It’s just.. Ugh. Talking about your feelings is hard. The face Jenny’s making is making you wish you could flush yourself down the toilet.

“You dumbass, were you seeing how long you could hide this from me?! After all I did for you.” Lars crosses his arms over his chest, miffed. “It’s whatever, I knew that was going to happen sooner rather than later, anyway. I was expecting like, two days, tops - with how you had talked about her.”

“Am I that obvious?” You ask flatly.

“Uh, yeah.” Jenny gives you a look. “Girl, you avoided me for an entire year after I asked you out, and then acted like nothing ever happened. I probably would have recovered my ego a lot faster if I knew your type was Gems.”

“My type isn’t GEMS,” You sputter, utterly amazed at the audacity of the three of them.

“Yeah but your neck says otherwise,” Lars teases, and you groan, covering your face as the other two howl in laughter.

“Remind me why I’m friends with any of you?” You say, muffled behind your hands.

“Um, because you have no other options?” Kiki grins, and you put your hands down just to lightly kick her on the shins, and she chokes out a snort.

“So, what’s the occasion? Why are you dolling up Y/N?” Jenny peers over at you, taking in the new.. upgrades to your appearance.

“She’s got some lessons today, and wanted to look more professional,” Kiki rolls her eyes, like somehow you wanting to not talk to a class looking like you got half-mauled by a sea lion is ridiculous. “Speaking of, did you want me to cover the scar on your face?”

“Ehhh, leave it. I don’t really care about that.” You look at the time on your phone, knowing you need to leave soon. Spinel has texted you a few words of encouragement coupled with quite a pile of heart emojis, and you have to school your face into not smiling at it like some sort of cheese ball.

"I think you look cooler with it anyway," Jenny tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, her gold earrings shining in the light of the bathroom. "Makes you look like you won't take shit from anyone."

"What about my scar?" Lars asks. "Is my face scar not cool??"

"Yours looks more like you fought a raccoon in a dumpster." Jenny grins, and you can't help the laugh that comes out of your mouth as Lars sputters at her response.

The four of you chat for a little while longer while you finish up with Kiki, Jenny asking way too many questions about your personal life - but this time, you don't feel uneasy at all about sharing some of the details with her. 

-

You're standing in the middle of Little Homeworld near the town center, coffee in hand - surveying the area as people and gems hustle around you. You probably should've also grabbed something to eat, but it's kind of too late now. Steven's bringing you lunch after this anyway.

It's twenty minutes until your first lesson, and you're starting to see a few gems show up early. They had to relocate where you'd be having the class - originally they had given you a decent spot under some coverage, but because the attendance got so high they moved you to the literal town center for the space. There's a lot of gems (and some humans) around, and most of them are either working on small construction or going about doing their other jobs. You watch three Amethysts a few yards away struggle to lift a large sheet of glass for what looks like a new cafe. Huh. The gems are really trying for inclusivity here. 

You turn around to look at your chalkboard that Garnet placed here for you, and write out a giant welcome sign on it, along with the class title and your name. You could've probably written it a little more eloquently.. eh. The gems aren't going to care. There's some sudden yelling coming from around you, so you turn to look - one of the Amethysts nearly dropped her side of the glass because someone bumped her — aaaand it's Spinel, with Bismuth next to her, who are reading over some blueprints.

You stand there, hoping Spinel hasn't seen you. She doesn't know your class got moved, but you're positive she was supposed to be working with not Bismuth today. Great. You don't need a reason to be any more anxious about this than you are, even if seeing her pink hair kind of sets you also at ease. 

More people and gems walk by loudly, and you start to wonder if you're going to need a megaphone. You grab your stack of papers, and go over your notes on your bench while you bide your time until it's noon.

About five minutes pass, and someone sits next to you on your bench. 

"Heyyyy." A familiar voice speaks, and you look up - you're greeted with the smiling face of that rose quartz you've bumped into twice. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Oh, it's you," You reply, a bit off-guard. You weren't expecting anyone to sit and chat with you, nonetheless the very specific gem you keep randomly meeting. 

"Saw you sitting here, and wanted to say hello before I went to this class I signed up for," She holds out her hand, her bright smile not making you feel as uneasy as it did the previous day. "I realized I never introduced myself. You can call me Rosie, if you want. The other quartzes have taken a liking to it."

"Rosie, huh.. that's actually a nice name. Mine's Y/N." You return her smile, and shake her hand.. which is strangely soft.

"Are you here for the lesson too? I'm pretty excited about this one, this has to be the most interesting class they've got on the current schedule right now." She leans in, putting an arm up on the bench back for support. More gems have started to gather in the centre now. 

"I am, but I'm actually the one teaching it.." You reply almost sheepishly, and her eyes widen in response.

"You're teaching it?!" She lights up immediately. "I thought it was just gonna be one of the other gems! No wonder so many came here from Homeworld for this!"

"... you're pulling my leg, right? How would any of them have heard of this? We only posted this class within the last week, and just on the singular board." You feel the bubbles of dread in your stomach. Or maybe that's just the excessive caffeine.

"I heard a couple talking about fliers over there, I'm not sure, but they were so excited." She takes a second to look around, and lowers her voice briefly. "I heard that one of the Diamonds wanted to attend, even."

WHAT. Your brain cannot deal with this information.

"B-but they're not, right?" You hear your voice waver, and you push your creeping anxiety down. "I don't think I can deal with a Diamond here, today."

She laughs, and it's not mockingly. It's almost sweet, actually.

"That would be something, wouldn't it?" She winks at you, a light smile on her face. "But no. I don't see their gaudy ships, so I think you can rest easy."

“Phewwwww,” You dramatically wipe your hands down your face, and let out a groan. “I was so worried there for a sec. What would the Diamonds care about interacting with humans, anyway? So absurd.”

“I have no idea,” She giggles at your antics. “Your guess would be about as good as mine.”

You see Spinel staring in your general direction, and your heart rate speeds up when you see her eyes connect with yours. Her face lights up like you’re the best thing she’s ever seen in her life, and you can’t stop the goofy smile that breaks out on your face. You wave at her, and she nearly drops the box she’s holding to enthusiastically wave back.

“Who’s that?” Rosie asks, face turned to peer at Spinel way over there.

“My girlfriend.” Is what comes out of your mouth automatically, and she whips her head back to stare at you with a strange face.

“You’re dating a gem?!” She hisses out, clearly shocked as her eyebrows shoot up into her hairline.

“Yes - jeez, why does everyone always react this way - and it’s not THAT weird, before you ask,” You say, feeling your face heat up in embarrassment.

“And a Spinel, of all gems? No offense.” She looks back over to stare at said pink-haired gem, before turning back to you. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You give her a look, taking immediate offense to her statement. She brings her hands up in defense.

“I didn’t mean it like - It’s just, Spinels seemed to always be designed for friendship; not romance. I’ve physically witnessed three dating catastrophes between them and other gems, in my time.”

“Well, my Spinel is perfectly fine.” You say, and it comes out a little more aggressively than you had wanted, and she recoils a bit. “But thanks for your concern.”

“I'm sorry, it wasn’t my intention to offend you.” She at least has the decency to look apologetic. “How long have you two been dating?”

“We just started this week..” You answer.

“New relationship, huh.” She looks like she’s studying your face, and you’re not sure how you feel about it. “I do wish you two the best,”- There’s a sudden low murmur in the group of gems nearby you, and you look over to see what they’re mumbling about.

Fucking hell.

Jasper, yeah THAT Jasper, is standing over in the now pretty fucking large crowd of gems that’s gathered to attend your class, and you don’t know whether to laugh or scream. 

“Whoa, she’s huge.” Rosie does a double-take at said gem, eyes widening hilariously.

“Yeah, a huge bitch. Jasper fucking hates humans, why the hell is she even here?” You groan, hoping that maybe she’ll just sit quietly and not make any remarks or heckle the other students.

"You know her?" She asks, amused by your response.

"Unfortunately, thanks to Steven." 

"That kid is some kind of magnet for problems of all shapes and sizes." She laughs, shaking her head.

"You don't even know the half of it.." You give her a tired look, and she laughs even more. She asks you a few more questions about Steven and your life, and you answer them truthfully while attempting to distract your anxiety.

-

A hundred gems is your turnout. A bit over, actually, and a handful of humans too.

You maybe feel just a little in over your head with this, but, well.. it's too late now. You spot quite a few gems you've seen before in the crowd, as well as Onion of course, and your neighbor George. You even spot Buck sitting in the middle of a group of Lapis who look like they're discussing heavy gossip with him, and he's actually engaged. Interesting.

There are.. so many eyes peering at you. You've never talked to a crowd this big in your entire life, and public speaking has never been your strong suit. But these gems came here for a specific reason, and goddammit, the thought of Pearl or Sour Cream teaching this instead in your place just doesn't sit right with you at this point.

You greet the class once the volume dies down enough, and a wave of enthusiastic greetings come back at you. You see Garnet in the corner and she gives you a thumbs up, and honestly it makes you feel a lot better that she's here.

You start off with your orientation notes, and talk generally about the basics, mainly about the similarities between gems and humans as common ground. Literally only about three minutes into this class, and a quartz that is most likely from Homeworld raises her hand. You call on her.

"Is it true that humans eat their younglings?" She shouts out from the middle of the crowd, her vibrant purple hair half covering one of her eyes. 

"Er," You stumble on your words, a little perturbed that that's the first question you get. "No, humans don't eat their young at all, you're probably confusing us with some other species."

She nods, like that sounds like the right answer, and then about twenty more hands shoot up.

"Let's save the questions until I at least get through this pile of papers, guys," You insist, and a noise of disapproval comes from near the front left side of the group. You turn your head, and.. it's fucking Jasper. Does she know that you'd throw hands with her if it were not for the fact that you're trying to be professional? 

You completely ignore her, and continue on with what you were previously talking about.

A good 20-25 minutes pass, and you're now in a good place to stop so people can ask their questions. A few humans you don't recognize ask you about how you know so much, and you answer truthfully. You briefly talk about living with Steven and the Crystal Gems, and how easy it was to co-exist. 

A LOT more hands pop up after that. 

"This might sound strange, but how do you ask a human to be friends?" The Lapis you call on asks. 

"You can just ask. Humans do it too. Sometimes people prefer to form them naturally though, but if you guys are already talking then it's a good sign." 

"But what about if they scream at you?" Another gem blurts out, and you curb the bark of laughter that wants to escape from your mouth.

"Generally speaking, what do you do if a gem screams at you? Same principle. Guys, humans and gems are way more similar than you think, and communication is key in this." At least your voice is steady, and you don't really feel as anxious as you were before, since the class seems to actually be going smoother than you had thought.

The giant hand of the Morganite in the middle of the crowd waves frantically, and you call on her with amusement. It's kind of cute how excited and interested a lot of the gems are. "You seem to have a ton of gem friends, and I have no human friends! Could you be my first?" She yells at you.

"Oh, I don't see why not," You answer truthfully, feeling a bit sheepish and taken aback by her request. Once those words leave your lips though, half the crowd starts shouting - ME! ME TOO! COULD YOU BE MY FRIEND?? - and you can't help feeling a little flustered as you try to calm the class down, taking a few more regular questions to keep it going.

You don't even realize through the noise of the center of little Homeworld when you spot a camera crew at the edge of your crowd, setting something up. It's the fucking local news station, what the FUUUUUUUUCK. You try not to outwardly display your internal panic and it's proving to be one of the hardest things you've ever done.

"When did you get that scar?" Jasper stares at you from her seat, pointing to your face.

You freeze momentarily at the lack of tact in that question, and that's when you spot Spinel off to the side of the class, at the edge of the crowd of students. Your brain stutters.

"U-um. It was during an accident with my girlfriend." You blurt out quickly, and instantly regret those words. You should've fucking lied or something because you can see Rosie narrowing her eyes at you in the front.

"Is that why you look like that now?" Jasper grunts out, crossing her arms. If you could throttle her you would in a heartbeat.

"Yes." You state firmly, meeting her gaze. She looks a little surprised at your answers. "Anyway, moving on." You hear a few murmurs in the crowd after that, opting to ignore how anxious it makes you.

You answer a few more questions, and try to not look at Spinel who keeps raising her hand with the rest of the gems. Shouldn't she be working?! Oh god, of course the camera crew is actually filming something - you can barely offhandedly hear the reporter spouting off something about little Homeworld into the camera as it pans around him. 

Your heartbeats are hammering in your chest, but you move onto more questions and try to keep your cool. Eventually you can't ignore how obnoxiously your girlfriend is raising and waving her hand trying to get your attention - several gems around her keep pointing at her so you'll give her a chance.

Oh, little do they know.

You sigh, resigning to letting her ask a question.

"Spinel." You call on her with a pointer finger as neutrally as possible, which is way harder than you had thought.

"Finally!" She cries with a fist pump, and a few people around her chuckle. "I just wanted ‘ta ask, is it possible for a gem and a human to fuse?”

You feel yourself freeze on the spot, taken completely by surprise. There’s a couple murmurs among the crowd.

Why the fuck is she asking that.

“U-um, no, unfortunately there’s no way to do that because of the differences in our biological make-up,” You say, feeling your face heat up in embarrassment - there are so many eyes staring at you.

“Well that sucks!” A random gem in the crowd shouts, and quite a few gems erupt in laughter. 

You try your best to wind them down and finish with their many, many questions.

It isn’t long until the class is over - you had only taken up hour sessions, and you’re so thankful for it. The class went over well, and many gems walk up to you to chat and shake your hand, and the local news station seems to be interviewing a couple gems on what went on - you guess there’s some sort or segment they’re doing on Little Homeworld, and today just happens to be the day they chose to do that.

You avoid the camera crew as much as possible as you tidy up your belongings, and Spinel walks up to you as you gather your papers in your arms.

“That went pretty good!” She beams at you, looking proud. You squash your feelings of affection that overwhelm you - you wish you could kiss her if you were not in public.

“Yeah, and if you ever ask me a question like that in my classes again, I’m actually going to ban you. I’ll even put up a photo of your face so the other’s know to barr you from the class.” You scoff at her, and she completely disregards it, getting a little closer to you to give you a look that you recognise as her challenging you.

“That wouldn’t work on me anyway,” She grins, hand raising up to tuck the stray hair that just flew into your face - she looks to the side of you briefly as you hear footsteps and speaking - 

FUCKKK, THE REPORTER IS WALKING RIGHT OVER HERE.

Your eyes dart back to Spinel, body posed to leave. “U-Um, I gotta-”

“Ma’am! Maaaaa’am!” You hear the reporter shout at you. 

Cool cool, keep it cool. Just breathe. You want to vomit.

"You two look pretty close." He remarks as he jogs up to you, slightly out of breath. The cameraman follows him, and if you could run you would. But you'd rather not be turned into a local meme, so your feet are firmly planted in the spot. "I wanted to catch you before you left, Miss Teacher!" He smiles brightly at you - that you know is just for the camera. 

"I was just finishing up." You smile politely. 

"I wanted to ask you a few questions regarding the class you just held if that's alright with you?" He asks, adjusting the small mic on his collar. He also holds up the microphone that the logo of the local news station is emblazoned on.

"Sure." You feel your nerves go haywire. This is way, waaaay too much pressure for you, you feel like you're going to faint, the fucking cameraman just winked at you.

"What's your name, firstly." 

"Y/N." You answer him with just your first name, and he gives you a look. 

"Last name? You gotta have a last name." He insists. 

You tell him your last name, and his eyebrows furrow before they shoot up into his hairline.

"Last name, last name?" He implores, holding the microphone closer to your face.  "Like, -last name- the lawyer working on that Gem case in Empire city, -last name-!?"

Oh. You forgot about your father. 

"Y-yes," You stutter out in a panic, and instantly regret waking up this morning.

God fucking dammit.

[hyuckles-chuckles]

𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚡 𝚍𝚎𝚋𝚞𝚝 — 𝚗𝚌𝚝 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖

pairing ; nct dream x actress!reader

genre ; fluff, bf!dream · word count ; 1.4k · rating ; 13 · warning(s) ; one swear word. spoilers from the following netflix shows; the end of the f***ing world, you, umbrella academy, 13 reasons why, the series of unfortunate events and stranger things (these are all shows that i watch and enjoy, give them a watch if you have access to a netflix account😏)

request ; “maybe a reaction to watching you make your big tv show debut on 13rw???????” by @chensblessing​

a/n ; i decided to change the request a little bit hehe, i feel like i would’ve gone crazy trying to associate a girl in that show + gif credits go to nakamotens

reacting to your netflix debut is copyright 2020 hyuckles-chuckles, all rights reserved.

—𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚞𝚗

“the show is about what?” renjun asks in shock as you join him on the couch with the snacks you brought from the dorm’s kitchen. “it’s about a boy who wants to kill me and then we fall in lo—” renjun stops you with a brief kiss to your lips. “don’t spoil the end of the fucking world for me,” he says as he takes the remote and presses play as you rest your head on his shoulder.

the episode starts and you look to renjun every once in a while, to see his reaction to your debut as an actress. you’re just lucky that your debut happened to be something that he would really enjoy, with all of the murdering that occurred. you were especially excited to see his reaction of your kiss with your co-star — the kiss that was oh-so awkward to film considering you were the only one putting in the effort.

at the end of the episode, you paused it so that you could ask what he thought about it. “it was amazing!” renjun exclaimed as he brought you into a hug. “but that kiss…” what was he going to say about the kiss? “…if he’s going to be kissing my girlfriend, he might as well put some effort into it,” he said as he grabbed your chin and planted a loving kiss to your lips, as if to show off to your co-star how to kiss you.

—𝚓𝚎𝚗𝚘

you snuggle into jeno’s side once again as you press play on your laptop to begin watching your first netflix show you. with the days leading up to the premiere, the two of you had binged the first season to remind yourselves of what went on so you could watch the new season with ease. “i’m so excited to see you act,” he whispers as the episode starts. “thanks, baby,” you say before you kiss his clothed chest.

jeno liked to talk during shows so you knew exactly what he was thinking and how he would react to the scene that played. when you appeared as ellie, he shook you in his arms and squealed silently so that he could hear what you had to say. when your character left the scene, you looked up to him to see he was pouting at your character’s departure. you giggle at him which he feels on his chest. “i miss you,” he mutters. “i’m right here,” you chuckle. “yeah, but seeing you on netflix is different,” he says as you both return your attention to your show.

at the end of the episode, you look to see jeno’s mouth hung open due to the twist at the end of the episode. “i guess you want to continue?” you ask him as you let the next episode play. “of course! only to see you though, obviously,” he says with a kiss to your forehead.

—𝚑𝚊𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗

“you got it ready?” haechan asked as he came with snacks for you both to eat while you watched umbrella academy, your netflix debut. “yup, i was just waiting for you to come back,” you smile as you take a chip from the table.

“did you read the comics?” he asks as you as he drapes an arm across your shoulders. “one or two when i was on set,” you answer truthfully. “you’re literally starring in one of my favourite comics and you only read one or two? wow,” he says as he munches on a candy. “i bet you don’t even know what number you are.” you roll your eyes as you press play, “i’m number 3.”

he gasps as the show begins, “i thought you’d be number 1 because that’s what you are to me.” you chuckled as you take a hold of his hand, “well, i heard a rumour that you kept quiet during this episode.” and just like the bad guys who you beat up in episode one, he acted as if you really had that power and kept quiet for the time being.

“you were oddly quiet,” you tease as the episode finishes. “what did you think?” haechan ponders his thought before he answers, “i wanted to comment on your mask protecting me from seeing your face in the first scene you were in — ow!” he exclaims as you hit his chest playfully. “i was only joking, you were amazing!”

—𝚓𝚊𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗

you knock on the door to nct dream’s dorm and are met with jaemin’s arms wrapped around you in a greeting. “i’m glad you arrived right now, renjun was about to start the episode,” he said, giving you a kiss and leading you to the living room. “she’s in 13 reasons why, she doesn’t need to watch it,” renjun defended himself. “i would like to watch it,” you said as you took his bowl of popcorn and sat next to jaemin.

your appearance as courtney is brief, but it makes an impact on jaemin as he strengthens his grip on your arm. “are you seriously jealous of courtney hugging clay? it’s literally in the script,” renjun taunts him. “promise you don’t kiss him,” jaemin pouts at you. to avoid spoilers, you whisper, “no.” jaemin is happy at this news and gives you a kiss on your cheek, but he still doesn’t know about what happens with your character when it gets to your episode.

so, when your episode comes on, the boys go ballistic when they see you in just a bra kissing hannah. jaemin got up from his spot and covered you on the screen as you laughed with the others. “you promised no kissing!” he yelled over the audio. “i promised no kissing clay!” you laughed as you brought him back to your place on the couch, covering his face with kisses as he pouted for the rest of the episode.

—𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚎

“neil patrick harris is in this? I’m not going to pay attention to you the, sorry,” chenle said as he jumped onto your bed, making some snacks fall onto your blankets. “he’s the bad guy,” you complained as you both cleaned up the snacks before you pressed play. “babe, it’s neil patrick harris — there’s no competition,” he said as he wrapped a blanket of yours across both of your shoulders as you listened to the theme song that would soon to change with coming episodes.

you watched as chenle’s mouth was open in shock from the plot of your debut netflix show. “the series of unfortunate events is dark,” he whispered to you. “what did you expect from the title, silly?” you said as you bumped his shoulder with yours. “i mean, how did they come up with this concept?” you took some popcorn into your hand which invited chenle into eating it out of your hand, causing you to laugh. “it’s a kids book,” you told him. “a kids book?!” he shrieked. “shh!” you said as you gave him the remainder of your popcorn to occupy his mouth from shrieking once more.

“that was really confusing,” chenle admitted when the episode ended, pausing it before the next episode started. “but did you like it?” you said as you turned to face him, your blanket falling off your shoulders. “i liked seeing you act — you’re as smart as violet,” he said as he reattached the blanket to your shoulders, ready to press play.

—𝚓𝚒𝚜𝚞𝚗𝚐

“is this necessary?” jisung asked you as he entered your fort in your living room. “it’s completely necessary. how dare you be my boyfriend and ask such a question?” you asked as he handed the remote that you forgot from outside the fort. “i’m sorry, i guess,” he mumbled as he joined you on your floor surrounded by the sheets, blankets and pillows from your bedroom — as well as the snacks that you got. “come on, let’s start!” you exclaimed as you found season 2 of stranger things and pressed play.

you and jisung spent the next couple of minutes finding comfortable positions to spend the next 8 hours in for your binge, until your character max came into the scene. his eyes widened as he saw you exit your co-star’s car and then skateboard away from the scene. “when did you learn how to skateboard?” jisung asked you as he laid down on his stomach, closer to the tv. “just before i started filming,” you said as you joined him on your stomach, bringing pillows so you both would be comfortable. when your character appeared next, he unintentionally reached for your hand.

“how did you get so much cooler?” jisung asked you after the episode ended. you shrugged your shoulders as you giggled softly. “maybe we can go skateboarding on our next date,” he offered. “totally,” you said as the intro ended, giving him a kiss on the hand that you held.

© hyuckles-chuckles, 2020. please don’t copy or repost without permission.

[go-ahead-and-whump]

Blondie Drabble

Literally no plot whatsoever, not even a little bit. There’s not even a lot of fluff, I just really missed writing about these guys and wanted to break the ice again with something small.

Also thank you @morelikepainsley for getting me back to these boys. I’ve missed them, and you’ve really done a lot to encourage me to write. 

Citrus

There are four citrus trees in Nana’s back yard. Three orange trees, and one lemon. The smell of them makes the air taste sweet, and if you linger long enough, the scent will stick to your clothes for the rest of the day.

Nana keeps a little white hammock under one of the orange trees, the one with the biggest branches. Speckles of light dance down between the leaves and twigs, falling on Nana and the little boy curled up by her side in the hammock as they rock back and forth. Salt travels in the breeze that staves off the heat, but where the rays of sunlight flutter across the boy’s skin, he feels the warmth of the day.

She calls him Sunny—her sunshine.

“Do you want to try reading this time, Sunny?” Nana asks.

The boy runs his fingers over the cover of the book and traces the red letters of the title. “I like hearing you read.” He says, looking up at the woman.

She is old, but he doesn’t quite understand that. To him, he is old in the same sense that, to a child, everything that existed before them seems old. The deep wrinkles around her eyes and mouth aren’t a sign of age, but a natural feature of her face, no different than the color of her evergreen eyes. Her hair, which has been changing from grey to white for years now, hangs over her shoulder in a perfect braid that reaches down past her breast. When she smiles, Sunny feels warmth in his stomach, as if he has drunken a glass of that warm sunlight that shines above them. 

“Okay, sunshine.” She kisses the top of his head and smells the sweet scent of the oranges that clings to his hair.

 Nana starts by clearing her throat and flipping to the title page, where an illustrated image of a Grandmother and her Granddaughter stand, holding their bonnets, surrounded by geese, chicken, and a goat. The colors are muted and warm, like old rags. The grandmother is pointing to a dark patch of clouds in the background—an approaching storm.

“Thunder Cake,” Nana reads, clearing her throat again for good measure. Her voice is low with a subtle rasp, and Sunny is nearly already lulled to sleep by the sound of it. “By Patricia Polacco.”

The story begins. 

...........

Somewhere outside of his dream world, Blondie is faintly aware of a movement, which stirs him from slumber. A hand, rough and warm, caresses his arm and then his cheek. His eyes crack open e to see Dan lean in and peck his forehead. “Good morning.” He says gently, and then the warmth of his touch leaves and Blondie feels suddenly much colder than before.

The top bunk is significantly cooler than the bottom bunk, so Dan had given Blondie the spare blanket to sleep with a long time ago. It’s nice to curl up with on rainy evenings when it’s cool but not cold enough to turn the heater on.

“I got you a coffee from inside.” Dan says. “It’s still hot so if you want to come lay down in my bunk while it cools off, go right ahead. I’m gonna go check the rig and make sure everything’s secure, then I think we’ll head out.”

A moment later the door shuts and Blondie is left alone. When he opens his eyes, he spots the small cup of coffee sitting in the cupholder by the passenger’s seat. He breathes in through his nose and sighs out through his mouth before getting up. They’re in Montana but they’re not really anywhere in particular. There is a lot of open space in between cities, so there are rest stops scattered all along the interstate. Beacons. Sanctuaries of life in the vast limbo that passes by in between each little town.

It’s just barely warm enough to keep the dew from turning into frost, and when Dan steps back inside the truck he audibly shivers. 

Blondie watches the back of his head as he fiddles with the buttons and controls on the consul by the steering wheel. A lot of gauges and dials that look the same, but they all mean something very specific and important to Dan. He takes a sip of his own coffee, takes down the windshield cover, adjusts the air and temperature, then turns back to catch a glimpse of Blondie. 

“Need anything before we leave?”

“No.” Blondie smiles drowsily and tucks his face further into the blanket that warms his cold nose. “I’m good.” Then he thinks for a moment: “Will you wake me up again in about fifteen minutes?”

The sound of air being released from the breaks hisses as Dan shifts the semi into gear. He turns his head back and nods. “You’ve got it, Blondie. Fifteen minutes. Sweet dreams.”